When eggplant parmigiana meets a tarte tatin

Last week I was on a video call with someone in Paris and they were wearing a hoodie. A hoodie. I thought about it for the rest of the day.

Here in the south of France it’s been weeks where the temperature doesn’t drop below 28°C (80°F), not even at night. I’ve never envied the gloomy weather of Paris this much in my life.

Turning on the oven stopped being an option around mid-July. So I’ve been cooking everything on the stovetop, including this: a savory pie that started as a way to use up grilled eggplants and turned into something I’ve made three times since. Overall, it’s a great way to make a pie with all the best of summer vegetables. It’s also ideal to share during a brunch or a picnic.

This is a gluten-free dough made with sourdough discard. Most of the times during summer I happen to have it because I don’t bake that often. But if you don’t, you can just use half a teaspoon of dry yeast and melt it in the water, then add a pinch of sugar.

Ingredient

Sourdough discard 100 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)
Water 100 g (scant ½ cup)
Psyllium husks 10 g (1 tbsp)
Light buckwheat flour 50 g (6 tbsp)
Fine salt ½ tsp

Dissolve the sourdough starter discard in the lukewarm water in a large bowl. If using dry yeast, add half a teaspoon of sugar to help it activate.

Add the psyllium husks and stir. Leave for 5 minutes to thicken.

Add the buckwheat flour and salt. Mix with a spoon for a few minutes until the dough comes together into a ball. Leave to rest in a warm spot for a couple of hours (one hour will be enough with dry yeast).

This is the filling I’ve made with this dough most often this summer. It’s essentially a deconstructed parmigiana: grilled eggplant, thick tomato sauce, melting cheese, basil. Tart and savoury, which is exactly what the dough needs.

Ingredient:

Once the dough has risen, it’s time to build.

Take a heavy-bottomed pan, a non-stick frying pan is ideal. Around 24–26 cm (10”). Drizzle a little olive oil and arrange your filling directly in the pan: start with the eggplant, then the torn cheese, the basil leaves and the tomato sauce. Season lightly.

Now take the dough. It will be soft and a little sticky. Brush some olive oil on two pieces of parchment paper and place the dough in the middle. Roll the dough to achieve a round and thin shape, the size of the pan. Remove one piece of parchment paper and flip it gently over the filling to create a rough lid. Remove the upper piece of paper and tuck the edges down around the sides if you can. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low to medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes. The dough will cook through and the base of the filling will start to caramelize. Check occasionally: you want golden, not burnt.

When the dough looks set and cooked through (see the second picture above), take a large plate or board, place it over the pan, and flip the whole thing in one confident move. The filling is now on top, the dough on the bottom. Slide the pie again in the pan, filling facing up this time. Cook for another 10-12 minutes, until you can see the dough is golden by gently flipping it from one side.

Serve warm, directly from the board. A few fresh basil leaves on top, another drizzle of oil. It’s also very good once it’s cold.

• The pan flip is the only moment that requires nerve. Make sure your plate is wider than the pan and move quickly.

• Scamorza is ideal because it melts without releasing too much water. Fresh mozzarella tends to make things wet: if that’s all you have, squeeze it dry first.

• The filling is flexible. Zucchini and feta, caramelized onion and goat’s cheese, roasted peppers and anchovies: anything that works in a tart works here.

• This can also be used for single servings, for an appetizer. I’ve done it this way with simple slices of ripe tomatoes.

With love,
Marta