Aubergine

I honestly prefer the British word for "eggplant"- aubergine...It just rolls off the tongue like a southern gentleman cooing to his sweetheart, "oh, Ber Jean!"

I picked up my lovely plant on a whim at the home improvement store. I went for cilantro, and left with $40 worth of plants. The sad thing is, the cilantro ended up rolling out of the bag, under my stroller in my trunk and was left there for two days. In the hot Florida sun, that is like tossing the plant in the oven!

I had fallen in LOVE with the pretty star-shaped purple blossoms on this lovely Ichiban variety (hehe, it sounds like "itchy bum!"). I figured that even if it didn't produce fruit, (I think it is a fruit- it has seeds inside, right?) I would have the lovely flowers.
Well, it did produce, and now I have one giant aubergine, and a couple little nubby ones. Seriously, look how ginormous it is next to my puny little stretched out hand!

However, I have to again admit that I can not recall ever eating eggplant. So how would I cook it to most enjoy it? I think Alton Brown did an episode on eggplant once.... I know I shouldn't pick it until I am ready to eat it, though.
The pretty flowers: as a heads up, don't eat the flowers, leaves, or stems- eggplant is a nightshade and could kill you!