The bank holiday weekend has us all excited about being able to dust off the garden chairs, wheel the BBQ out of the garage and put the beers on ice. We’ve been looking at a traditional Middle Eastern recipe to see what chocolate magic we can create, and it’s here for you to enjoy.
Baba Ghanouj or as it actually sounds, Baba Ganoush, is a dish most commonly associated with Lebanon and Lebanese cuisine and is a staple of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines – similar to hummus in texture, consistency and colour, the main ingredient in baba ganoush is aubergine, where in hummus it is chickpea. Nutritionally, it is low in cholesterol and high in fibre and protein and makes for a delicious BBQ side dish when served with pitta or flat bread. This is our chocolate version of this delicious recipe, created by David Greenwood Haigh of Coeur De Xocolat.
The famously smoky Middle Eastern Aubergine puree reaches new heights of smoothness when you add white chocolate, which adds sweetness and complexity to the dip’s flavours of garlic, lemon, cumin, and smoked paprika. Topped with jewel-like pomegranate seeds, it’s an unexpected take on a real classic.
Prep Time: 55 minutes
White Chocolate Baba Ghanouj Ingredients:
- 6 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 4 aubergine, (medium, sliced in half lengthwise)
- 80 ml lemon juice
- 160 grams tahini
- 113 grams white chocolate (melted)
- 2 tbsps chopped parsley (finely)
- 11/2 tsps ground cumin
- 11/2 tsps smoked paprika
- Sea Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Pomegranate seeds (for garnish)
- Pitta bread toasted for serving – or flat breads.
White Chocolate Baba Ghanouj Method:
- Prick the aubergines with a fork then grill them with the garlic until the skin is charred and blacked and the flesh feels soft when you press it (this should around 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking).
- In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic with the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and pepper.
- When cool enough to handle, cut the aubergines in half and scoop out the flesh.
- Transfer to a food processor with juice, tahini, chocolate, half the parsley, the cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper; puree until smooth.
- Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with remaining parsley and pomegranate seeds; serve with pitta on the side for dipping.
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