Miso Eggplant Cheese Toast
A café-style open toast: thick bread spread with miso mayo, topped with honey-miso glazed eggplant and stretchy mozzarella, baked until bubbling.
Method
Slice the eggplant 7 mm thick on the diagonal. Heat the oil in a 24 cm frying pan on medium heat, lay the slices in a single layer and cook for , turning, until golden on both sides and soft inside.
Add in this stepJapanese eggplant (slim and long) 1Neutral oil 1½ tbsp
medium heatMix half the miso with the honey, pour it over the eggplant in the pan, turn the heat down to low heat and toss gently for until glossy. Honey burns quickly, so don't leave it.
Add in this stepWhite (shiro) miso 2 tspHoney 2 tsp
low heatMix the rest of the miso with the mayonnaise and spread the miso mayo evenly over the bread, right to the edges.
Add in this stepWhite (shiro) miso 2 tspMayonnaise 2 tbspThick-sliced white bread (2–3 cm) 2
Layer the eggplant over the bread and scatter generously with mozzarella. Cover right to the edges so the crust doesn't scorch.
Add in this stepGrated mozzarella 60 g
Bake in a oven preheated to 230 °C (or a toaster oven) for , until the cheese has melted, bubbles and browns in spots.
ovenSprinkle with spring onion, sesame and shichimi, cut in half and eat warm.
Add in this stepSpring onions, thinly sliced (stalks) 1Toasted sesame seeds 1 tspShichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice) 1 pinch
Cook's tip
Cook the eggplant until really soft so it doesn't release water and make the toast soggy. If you don't want heat, swap the shichimi for crumbled toasted nori. Use diagonal slices of baguette for bite-size party toasts.
Cooking it at camp
Cook the eggplant at home, toss it in the honey-miso glaze and bring it in a tub. At the campsite, top the bread with miso mayo, eggplant and cheese, set it in a pan on the burner and cook covered on low for 5–6 minutes, until the base is crisp and the cheese has melted.