Eggplant and Ricotta Bruschetta

Looking for something new to post, I began to think about a project I did for my dining room class. The assignment was to imagine a restaurant and create a menu that exemplifies a well rounded theme. Because of my semester in Italy and my love for Italian food, and because I knew my friend John, who is very Italian, could help me, I decided to make the menu Italian and feature dishes that encompassed connections with my semester abroad. One of the appetizers was a trio of bruschetta which featured an eggplant bruschetta. So I decided that I would try and create this menu item, not that I had every really put much thought into what would go in it, but I guess now was the time to figure that out. 

Eggplant and Ricotta Bruschetta 

1/2 Baguette 

1 Eggplant 

Olive oil 

Salt 

Pepper 

Juice of half a lemon 

Ricotta 

Mint leaves - chopped

1 clove of garlic

Begin by slicing the baguette into 1/2 - 1/4 inch slices, brush one side with olive oil and toast in a 400 degree oven till lightly brown around the edges and crispy. While those toast cut the eggplant lengthwise into planks and season them with oil, salt and pepper and grill till tender, about 4-5 minutes a side. Dice up the grilled eggplant and toss with a little more salt and pepper and juice from half of a lemon. When bread is finished toasting rub each piece with the garlic clove to add a little garlic flavor. Then begin assembling by spreading the ricotta over the crostini and then topping with a spoonful of the eggplant and finishing it by sprinkling over some chopped mint. 

Being able to bring one of the theoretical menu items to life is an exciting and interesting task. It almost brings the idea of the restaurant to life with it and makes me think that maybe it wouldn't be that bad owning my own restaurant after all. Of course working in a restaurant is much different from cooking these dishes at home, but the overall concept of the restaurant I created in my project is looking like something I may actually enjoy after all. So as I begin to rethink what I want to do with my culinary degree I continue to countdown the days till school, only 88 days to go and a whole lot of recipes left to come up with and create. So till next time, 

Keep Cooking Brooklyn!