Reviewed: Feb. 28, 2012

At first I made it without the lemon that was suggested. I used the bread crumbs that were suggested as "tradtional" because my daughter does not like walnuts. I made 1/3 of a batch (1 eggplant worth) not sure how this would come out. It was eh Ok/a bit bland. I did use 2 cloves of garlic (would have been = to 6 for the whole batch ) BUT I used roasted garlic and not fresh....so overpowered with garlic was not a problem. It was just kinda dull. Then I remembered a bunch of posters saying it needed lemon juice. I added 1 tsp (for my 1/3 batch...so would be 1 TB for a whole batch) and that made a big difference. It really does NEED the lemon juice.

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Reviewer:

camohn

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 4, 2011

I grilled my eggplant till soft and it gave it a nice smoky taste. I made it again today and used pine nuts in lieu of walnuts and added a little smoked paprika--it is delicious!

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Reviewer:

brogli1

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Scottsville, Kentucky, USA

Living In: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 14, 2011

I thought this was pretty tasty. I don't measure just add to taste, but added some roated red pepper and paprika and turned out yummy.

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Reviewer:

sarah

Reviewed: Aug. 6, 2011

I was looking for something similar to a very flavorful roasted eggplant dip I made some time ago, but for which I have since lost the recipe. This wasn't it. While this is not bad, I found the garlic heavily overwhelmed the flavor of the smoky-sweet eggplant. The other flavors of the cheese, nuts, and olive oil just got lost entirely. Further, I found the texture to be too thick for my taste. Perhaps this was due to "operator error," though I tried to follow the recipe closely. Overall, I think this spread would be improved if some "tweaking" were done to balance the flavors more while lightening the texture a bit.

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Reviewer:

KAI

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Jul. 6, 2010

So the original recipe didn't sound very appealing, however with some modifications my entire beach-family raved about this app. Y'all, roast the garlic while you are roasting the eggplant to tame the "garlic-y" twang. I only used 2, to test, but from now on I will use the full 4 cloves. I added lemon zest and lemon juice to add an extra depth of flavor. I also added Cavender's Greek Seasoning for a bit of zip. I did not peel my eggplant because they were so young and tender. And finally I used a fresh, organic cracked pepper and sea salt goat cheese. Everyone LOVED this appetizer, and with these modifications I will be sure to make it again.

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Reviewer:

MsGigi

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Johnson City, Tennessee, USA

Living In: Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 30, 2010

I don't like eggplant but Husband does, and he really enjoyed this spread. I halved the recipe, and it still made A LOT! It is also INCREDIBLY garlicky - almost too much! As others have noted, a splash of fresh lemon juice adds a lot to the flavor. I'll probably make this again with a couple of modifications. Thanks!

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Reviewer:

Caroline C

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Denver, Colorado, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 15, 2010

I thought this was going to be a lot better then it was. There was way too much garlic, and I normally love a lot of garlic. It also just tasted pretty bland, I kept trying to add more salt and it didn't really help. I finally added lemon juice and that helped a little bit. Overall I was disappointed.

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Reviewer:

Marieclaire0924

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

Delicious! I used almonds instead of walnuts and added lemon juice. I'm not sure about the proportions - I used one large eggplant and one clove of garlic.

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Reviewer:

Sharon

Reviewed: Sep. 12, 2009

I used 2 eggplants and decreased the olive oil slightly and added just under 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts. Also after letting the eggplant cool, I peeled it and cut it into cubes prior to chopping in the food processor. I love garlic and even 1 large clove was very strong for this recipe. My husband loved it and although the end result was not very pretty, it tasted great and we served it with pita chips. We will definitely serve this again.

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