Friday night dinner this week was very simple. With my husband leaving for a work trip there is a balance of making him something that he will like, but on a small enough scale that I won’t be stuck with all the leftovers. This week there was a little bit of compromise. My husband is an eggplant connoisseur if you will. I will never make eggplant as tasty as his mom, but I do the best I can. This week he wanted eggplant Parmesan for dinner. Although I am quite a fan, the recipe I use tends to make a lot. Then an idea popped into my head.
I can make eggplant rollatini! I had almost all the ingredients on hand and it was a good excuse for me to whip up a batch of Marinara sauce which is always important to have. Since anything that is saucy and cheesy requires bread to dip into it, I made garlic bread. Even though Friday is usually all about making challah, again, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get through two loaves on my own. I would say that this was a compromise, but is there ever really a compromise when it comes to garlic bread?
The rollatini was absolutely delicious! The next time I make it, I will peel the eggplant even though it didn’t say to in the recipe. I loved that the filling had a hint of lemon which really brought some nice brightness in the dish.
I was planning on making salad, but it just didn’t happen. I have an amazing recipe for a balsamic dressing that would have gone great with dinner, but to be completely honest, after I got done making dessert, I had nothing left in the tank.
On to dessert! I tried a new skill: souffle. The reason there is no photographic evidence is because I made a few rookie mistakes. I will say that it didn’t fall and it tasted delicious, but for sure not ready to have its picture taken. After I whipped the egg whites to stiff peaks my shoulder was burning (and people wonder why my right shoulder is stronger that my left) and I was simply ready to put dinner on the table. My biggest rookie mistake was that I filled my ramekins too high and the souffle spilled over the top. Even though it didn’t look pretty, we ate the dark chocolate souffle with a small scoop of raspberry jam and whipped cream.
Our Friday night dinner might have been anything but traditional, but it sure hit the spot.
Menu
- Garlic bread (in place of challah)
- Eggplant Rollatini with homemade Marinara Sauce
- Salad with a balsamic dressing (although it never hit the table)
- Dark chocolate souffle with raspberry jam and whipped cream
- Sangiovese from Reininger Winery
