Ok, this one is a hit or miss. I made Cream of Eggplant Soup from a recipe that a friend of mine submitted to another cookbook. This was my pick for two reasons. First of all, it had eggplant in it which I adore, and I had the last few from my garden ready to use. Second, the recipe was from Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, my hands down favorite restaurant in the world. I had visions of a young Emeril making this for delighted customers. Well, here’s how it went at my house: Sammy put his ears back and absolutely refused to taste it, Richard took a spoonful and spit it out, but three of my friends, all women, loved it and took homes jars of the soup since it clearly was not going to be eaten in my house. I made a few changes, it was very chunky so an emersion blender was put to use. You could do this in a regular blender, but a smooth puree wouldn’t work so just give it a quick buzz. I also cut the recipe in half and used one potato - it would still serve a crowd.
Here is the recipe – you decide.
Ingredients
3/4 stick butter
3 c diced onion
3 diced celery
2 large eggplants, unpeeled and diced
3 diced potatoes
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp thyme (I used fresh since it’s still in my garden)
1/2 tsp sweet basil
8 c chicken stock (I used vegetable stock for a vegetarian version)
4 c whipping cream
Directions
Melt butter in 6-quart pot. Sauté onion, celery, eggplant, and potatoes. Add seasoings and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until potatoes are tender, about 10 or 15 minutes. Stir in stock and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, until mixture begins to thicken, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and add cream. Serve immediately. Serves 12 to 16
