Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

eggplant

Fuss-Free Eggplant Tapenade Tartlets for Labor Day

One of my favorite long weekends of the year, Labor Day is all about relaxing with family and friends, watching football and tennis, and preparing and eating delicious food. While barbecue, hot dogs and beer are popular Labor Day fare, I love the idea of dressing up the holiday table with these elegant eggplant tartlets, made with eggplant that is in peak season this time of year.  The filling can be prepped a day ahead (that would be today!) and assembled and baked off in just minutes. So delightful, I think I’ll be whipping up a batch tomorrow, in my white slacks, of course! Happy Labor Day!

Excerpted from Tart Love – Sassy, Savory and Sweet by Holly Herrick (Gibbs Smith, Oct. 1, 2011)…………………………………………

“Summer/Fall  Mellow eggplant sits atop a bed of cream cheese blended with sweet basil and salty olives for these sophisticated tartlets. Pair with a chilled Rose for an indulgent late-summer aperitif for easy entertaining.”

Eggplant and Cream Cheese Tapenade Tartlets

(Makes 12 Tartlets)

Equipment Needed: One 3 1/2-inch round pastry cutter, parchment paper

2 sheets Pepperidge Farms puff pastry

1 small eggplant, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/4″-thick slices

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 

For the cream cheese filling:

Photo by Helene Dujardin

1/2 cup cream cheese

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

Zest of 1 lemon

1 large clove garlic, peeled, smashed and finely chopped

1/4 cup finely pitted green olives

Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 egg wash (yolk, pinch salt, splash water blended together)

Fresh basil sprigs for garnish.

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions, about 40 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange eggplant on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Bake about 15 minutes, until softened and slightly shrunken. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, but leave the oven on. When the eggplant is cool, chop it with a chef’s knife into pieces about the size of peas.

Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese filling by combining all the ingredients, except the basil garnish, in a small bowl, stirring well with a wooden spoon to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

To assemble the tartlets, arrange the thawed pastry sheets on a lightly floured work surface.  Gently press out any rough seams with your fingertips to smooth. Cut the pastry with the round cutter to form rounds; avoid wasting pastry. You should get 12 rounds from the pastry. Arrange each on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart to allow space for them to “puff.” Gently coat the top (not the sides) of the pastry with egg was. Fill each tartlet with one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture, spreading with a spoon. Leave 1/4 inch border of naked pastry, which will become the sides of the tartlets as the pastry rises. Top cream cheese with 1 heaping tablespoon of eggplant. Bake for 25 minutes, or until puffy and golden. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve warm on a platter or on individual cocktail plates sprinkled with fresh basil.

Enjoy this last official taste of summer and be safe out there!

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