Menu, Photos & recipe from Giada De Laurentiis at InStyle's GG After Party

Giada De Laurentiis Cooks for Hollywood’s Elite at InStyle’s Golden Globe Awards Party

While nominated actors, directors, writers, producers and musicians were on stage accepting their awards at Sunday’s Golden Globes, celeb chef Giada De Laurentiis was backstage supervising the award-winning dishes.

At InStyle’s Golden Globe after party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel – one of the biggest soirees in Los Angeles – Giada’s mouthwatering menu was the main event.

Didn’t snag an exclusive invite? Don’t fret – you might not be able to rub elbows with the stars, but you can eat like them!

Below, Giada shares a recipe for one of the night’s four appetizers. Her pick? Crispy and cheesy mini eggplant Parmesan. That’s not all – Giada also captured all the dinner party details in photos!

Browse through her photo diary below, 

read on for the mini eggplant parmesan recipe

and visit Giada’s website for all her Golden Globe recipes.

Mini Eggplant Parmesan
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Giada’s notes: Seems like a lot of oil, but it has to be deep enough to come half-way up the sides of the slices, hence the medium skillet instead of a large one. That way the entire coating will be golden after the eggplant is cooked on both sides. Use a slotted spatula to transfer the fried eggplant so excess oil will drain and the crust will remain intact.

What You’ll Need

For the sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cup jarred marinara, such as GDL Tomato Basil
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
¼ teaspoon (or more) balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the eggplant
½ cup all purpose flour
2 large egg whites
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 Japanese eggplants, sliced ¼-inch-thick, each cut on slight diagonal
⅔ cup olive oil (not necessarily extra-virgin)
½ cup (packed) coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Small fresh basil leaves (garnish)

What You’ll Do

Sauce
1. Place the oil in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the shallot and garlic to the saucepan. Stir over medium heat until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper.

2. Simmer the sauce until flavors blend and the sauce thickens slightly, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Mix in the vinegar, salt, and pepper, then more vinegar if desired. Puree sauce in blender. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool, cover, and chill.)

Eggplant

3. Place flour and panko in medium bowls. Whisk egg whites in a third medium bowl until broken up and very frothy. Dip each eggplant slice in flour, then egg white, then panko to coat completely. Arrange eggplant on paper towels. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until hot (the surface will appear to be shimmering). Add half of eggplant. Cook until deep golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side (or more if needed).

5. Carefully (so the crispy crust does not break) transfer the eggplant to a paper towel lined plate. Fry the remaining eggplant. (Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

6. Toss cheeses in a small bowl until well blended. Spread 1 generous teaspoon of sauce on each eggplant slice. Top each with a rounded teaspoon of cheese mixture; spread out to cover and press lightly to adhere. Transfer the eggplant slices to a rimmed baking sheet.

7. Bake until the cheese mixture melts and the eggplant is heated through and crisp, about 12 minutes. Transfer the mini eggplant Parmesans to a platter. Garnish each with 2 small basil leaves. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes to cool a bit and serve!



Disclosure: I did not receive any products nor was paid for this post. I was provided info from the PR firm to share. Thanks to A Bullseye View. Any expressed opinions are my own and personal thoughts. No other compensation was given.