Moussaka

Meat Sauce:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and when it's hot enough, sauté the onion and garlic until it has softened and is just starting to brown. Add the meat and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the clumps as it cooks. Remove as much liquid as you can with a spoon and turn up the heat to remove the rest and crust the meat a little. When all the pink is gone, reduce the heat to low and blend in the tomato, wine, sugar, and spices. Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue cooking if the sauce is too soupy (should be some liquid in the pan, but not a lot). Cool and keep in a covered container in the fridge.

Eggplant:
Line one or two baking pans with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 375°F convection.

Wash and dry the eggplant(s) and slice them cross-wise into ⅓" thick round slices. Place the slices on the other baking pan and brush both sides with a light coat of olive oil. Put them in the oven and bake them until they are lightly browned, turning once. Remove the various pieces when they look done, leaving the others to complete their baking. All the eggplant should be out of the oven in 45 minutes or so.

Assembly:
Remove as much of the coagulated fat from the cold sauce as you can before bringing the sauce back to warm on the stove. Add a little red wine and chicken broth to make it moist, but not sloppy. Stir in the parsley. If the meat lumps are too large, use a potato masher to reduce them.

Taste the sauce and if it isn't perfect, add any of the items listed under Optional Enhancements that you think might enhance the flavour - salt, pepper, spices, a few dashes of bitters if needed (the taste seems to mellow and is a little richer with the bitters, but be careful, a single drop has a big affect!). Harissa paste adds heat and Red Boat salt umami.

Choose a pan that is a few inches deep and not too large an area. This recipe will produce enough to fill a 10"x10" pan to about 2½". Cover the bottom of the pan with some meat sauce and then add a layer of eggplant. Layer more meat and more eggplant successively until they are used up. End with a layer of meat. Squeeze the casserole down with a spatula and set it aside.

Saltsa Aspri:
Heat the butter on medium heat in a large enameled cast iron pot. When melted, turn the heat to medium-low and add the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. When it is blended in, add the cornstarch and whisk continuously for 8-10 minutes to cook the raw flour taste away. As soon as the roux colour darkens a little, add the cream and then the milk in a steady stream, stirring constantly with the whisk. Don't pour all the milk in until you see the thickness that you get. It is ready when the sauce is smooth and has thickened such that a spoonful can be mounded, about 10 minutes. Now blend in the cheese and remove the sauce from the heat to cool. When it has cooled a little, blend the egg yolk with a little of the warm sauce and before blending it into the sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, and stir well.

Cover the Moussaka base evenly with the Saltsa Aspri and sprinkle with cheese.

Baking:
Bake for 45 minutes at 350°F or until the top is golden in color. Check the internal temperature as the casserole will be about 190°F when ready and it is difficult to know by time alone. If the top has not browned sufficiently, turn on the broiler and bake the casserole until it browns in places, about 3 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.