Aubergine, Watermelon and Chocolate with Cucumber Sorbet Recipe

Andrea Berton highlights the versatility of the humble aubergine in this inspiring dessert recipe. He pairs the earthy notes of the vegetable with a refreshing cucumber and ginger sorbet that brings a delightful lightness to the dessert and pairs beautifully with the sweet nuances of the mint-infused watermelon. The chef also uses an exclusive pepper from Camo in Piedmont, however it can be easily substituted for the more readily available Sarawak pepper.

Ingredients

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Aubergine rectangles

2 aubergines
2 sprigs of thyme
50g of extra virgin olive oil
salt
black pepper

Cucumber and ginger sorbet

50g of Isomalt sugar
25g of dextrose
2g of stabiliser
50g of water
250g of cucumber juice
6g of ginger juice
40g of apple juice, green
12g of lime juice
12g of lemon juice
5 basil leaves, chopped

Aubergine cream

2 aubergines, peeled
2 bunches of basil
1l peanut oil
100g of extra virgin olive oil
flaky sea salt
black pepper

Chocolate dough

125g of plain flour
80g of ground almonds
130g of butter
130g of brown sugar
50g of cocoa powder
10g of cacao nibs
4g of salt
Sarawak black pepper, in brine, drained and rinsed

Sablé pastry dough

220g of plain flour
100g of sugar
170g of butter, cold
1 egg
salt

Watermelon

1/2 watermelon
8 mint leaves, chopped
1 tsp oil
salt

Crumble

1 lime

To serve

pea shoots

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Water bath
Pacojet
Vacuum bags (10)
Microplane
Chamber sealer
Deep-fryer
Piping bag and nozzle

For the aubergine rectangles, slice the aubergines in half lengthways and coat with thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Cover and leave to marinate overnight

2 aubergines
2 sprigs of thyme
50g of extra virgin olive oil
black pepper

For the sorbet, combine the isomalt sugar, dextrose, stabiliser and water together in a pan and place over a high heat. Boil for 1 minute until all of the sugar has dissolved

50g of Isomalt sugar
25g of dextrose
2g of stabiliser
50g of water

Mix the juices together and whisk in the syrup and the basil leaves. Place the mixture in Pacojet beakers and freeze at -16°C

250g of cucumber juice
40g of apple juice, green
12g of lime juice
12g of lemon juice
6g of ginger juice
5 basil leaves, chopped

On the day of serving, preheat the water bath to 90°C

Place the marinated aubergine halves in vacuum bags (2 slices per bag) and seal with a chamber sealer. Place the bags in the water bath and cook for an hour and a half

Meanwhile, make the chocolate dough. Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth and combined, roll into a cylinder and wrap in cling film. Freeze for approximately 1 hour

125g of plain flour
80g of ground almonds
130g of butter
130g of brown sugar
50g of cocoa powder
10g of cacao nibs
4g of salt
Sarawak black pepper, in brine, drained and rinsed

Repeat the above process for the sablé pastry dough

220g of plain flour
100g of sugar
170g of butter, cold
1 egg

Preheat the peanut oil for the aubergine cream in a deep-fryer to 180°C

1l peanut oil

Cut the peeled aubergines into 2cm thick slices and fry in the hot peanut oil

2 aubergines, peeled

Drain the aubergine slices on a piece of kitchen paper, then blend into a purée with the basil and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a piping bag and set aside until needed

2 bunches of basil
100g of extra virgin olive oil
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3

For the watermelon, cut 8 rectangles measuring 4x5x2cm out of the watermelon flesh, place into individual vacuum bags with the mint, oil and salt and seal in a chamber sealer. Set aside to compress for 15 minutes

1/2 watermelon
8 mint leaves, chopped
1 tsp oil
salt

Once the chocolate and sablé pastry doughs have set, grate onto separate baking trays lined with greaseproof paper and place in the oven for 20 minutes

Remove the watermelon slices from the bags and set aside to dry on kitchen paper

Remove the trays of crumble from the oven and set aside to cool and dry an kitchen paper. Once cool, combine the crumbles and grate over some fresh lime zest

1 lime

Remove the aubergine halves from the bags and place on pieces of kitchen paper to dry and cool

Cut the marinated aubergine halves into 8 rectangles measuring 4x5x2cm and grill on both sides in a hot griddle pan, keeping warm until required

Process the frozen sorbet mixture a few minutes before serving. Meanwhile, grill the watermelon slices under a hot grill

To serve, place a rectangle of aubergine on each plate and pipe over with the aubergine cream. Place a watermelon slice alongside, sprinkle on the chocolate crumble and top with cucumber and ginger sorbet and pea shoots as pictured above

pea shoots

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Andrea Berton

One of Milan's most decorated chefs, Andrea Berton is a role model for cooks across Italy thanks to his beautiful food, dedication to good ingredients and fierce work ethic.

Grilled watermelon, aubergine, chocolate crumbs, cucumber and ginger sorbet

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