I first ate this dish at a restaurant called Hiély in Avignon. It is one of my very favourite restaurants and whenever I am in the vicinity I make a beeline for 5 rue de la République.

It is a fine dish, subtle in flavour and quite different from the other aubergine recipes in this chapter. This one turns out to be quite rich and does not rely on Mediterranean flavours.

In France, crème fraîche would be used, which has a sharpness that English cream does not have. Add a sque