Have You Ever Tried Eggplant — For Dessert?

We're rather fascinated by this recipe for tarte tatin. See, it doesn't call for the traditional apples, or even pears or quince: it's topped with eggplant. What do you think? Does eggplant have dessert course possibilities?

This recipe is from the August edition of Gourmet and it calls for caramelized eggplant, in a sweet sauce with a kick of black pepper. Eggplant of course is not a usual dessert component; tarte tatin is generally made with apples, pears, or even quince.

And yet eggplant has a gooey, tender quality that really does promise good things in a dessert. One commenter on this recipe wonders if the glazed eggplant would taste like figs. This is so intriguing to us, but we don't know if we're brave enough to try it just yet!

What do you think? Have you ever tried eggplant in a dessert?

• Get the recipe: Eggplant Tarte Tatin with Black Pepper Caramel

(Image: Stephanie Foley/Gourmet)

Comments (3)

i've never tried an eggplant dessert (mostly because i don't even like them very much in savory applications...) but this one has intrigued me in the past: http://www.calabriafromscratch.com/?p=1576

The dark and moody flavor of eggplant with black pepper and caramel? Yes! I also wonder whether honey or brown sugar would work.

Yes! Favorite sweet eggplant dishes:

1) Berenjenas con miel: a dish served in southern Spain. Pillowy, thin slices of eggplant lightly fried in batter with a molasses-like honey poured on top

2) Eggplant preserves that I've only seen/tasted in Turkey. It also tastes like molasses