Fried Egg-Plant

A plain pan-fry with no crumb coating -- the egg alone forms the crust, so the pan and the heat matter more than usual.

• The salt soakAn hour in cold salted water draws out moisture and some bitterness, and keeps the slices from drinking up fat. Drain and press them dry between towels before the egg, or the coating will slide off.
• Egg only, no crumbsBeaten egg alone sets into a thin, patchy skin. Beat it with a pinch of salt and let excess drip off; if you want a crust that holds, dip egg then fine dry breadcrumbs or cornmeal, as some other recipes of the period direct.
• Butter will brown firstWhole butter browns and burns before the eggplant's interior softens. Use clarified butter, or half butter and half a neutral oil, over medium heat.
• Cook it throughThe instruction that matters is "until the inside is very soft." Undercooked eggplant is spongy and faintly bitter; give each side 3-4 minutes and press the center to check that it yields completely.
• Modern eggplant is milderGlobe eggplants sold now are bred for low bitterness, so the soak is more about texture than flavor. Thirty minutes of dry salting in a colander does the same job with less sogginess.
• Slice thicknessQuarter-inch is right for this method. Thicker rounds will brown before the middle collapses; thinner ones fall apart when turned.
• YieldOne medium eggplant, about 1 lb, cut in quarter-inch rounds gives a good many slices -- enough to serve three or four as a side. Serve at once -- fried eggplant slumps as it cools.