Too Many Chefs

Try broiling the eggplants again briefly after spreading the dengaku (sweet) miso on it, until the paste is a little bubbly--it really brings out the flavor.

In terms of what to do with the rest of the dengaku miso, use it like a sweet butter or oil for thickening and enriching sauces ("monter au miso?"), dressings (use instead of oil for vinaigrettes), and soups.

Thanks for the ideas - I think it will indeed be finding its way into a salad dressing very soon. Unfortunately, soups and sauces are not very much in evidence in our kitchen when the weather is warm. (Or fortunately, I suppose, when you think of the saved calories!)

Eggplants look so bad but taste so good. They are in abundance in our markets now. I'm looking for new ways to cook them, so I'll have to give this a try. Of course, first I'll have to find an asian market in town.

Meg, you could try this favourite of mine: Scallops in an Orange

The scallops sound delicious, but I'm not sure they are in season at the moment. I'll have to check the next time I go to the market! In any case, I'll definitely try it at some point, thanks!

This was super. I hope the Japanese won't be offended that I used dry vermouth instead of the mirin. It was the closest thing I had.