• 1 large or 2 medium eggplants (aubergines)
• 1 egg yolk face
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon labneh (Lebanese cream cheese) or plain Greek yogurt
• Salt
• Espelette pepper 

Prepare the eggplant

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash, dry, and halve the eggplants. Prick the flesh all over with a fork and wrap each half in aluminum foil.

2 Bake in the oven for 1 hour.

3 Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Then use a teaspoon to scoop out the flesh into a small bowl. Weigh the flesh. You need 250 grams / 9 ounces.

Make the eggplant mayonnaise

Mix the egg yolk with the mustard in a bowl. Add the labneh and mix well. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the eggplant and mix well. Season with salt. Transfer to another bowl and sprinkle with a little Espelette pepper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (cling film) and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Alain Ducasse- If you can’t find labneh, the Lebanese cream cheese, make it yourself. Mix the contents of one container of yogurt with a good pinch of salt. Put it in a strainer lined with cheesecloth or muslin and let it drain in the refrigerator for at least eight hours.  

Paule Neyrat- You might want to make it with several cups of yogurt, given the time it takes to make. This labneh is useful and can accompany crudités. I love this eggplant mayonnaise; it’s super light and has lots of calcium.

Reprinted with permission from Simple Nature by Alain Ducasse and published by Rizzoli New York, 2017.