Ingredients

3 small eggplant (or 2 medium)
1 tbsp black truffle paste (could substitute truffle oil instead)
Salt and lemon juice for treating eggplant
2 tsp smoked salt
Olive oil for grilling
Pinch cinnamon
100g walnuts, soaked, toasted
Splash olive oil or dairy-free milk for blending
250ml Blue Heron almond ricotta, (or substitute with semi-firm tofu)
2 large cloves of garlic, roasted

Process:

1. Wash eggplant, pat dry. Slice eggplant and lay on a plate. Sprinkle surface slightly with salt, and drizzle a little lemon juice over top. This will help the eggplant leach bitter compounds, improving flavour. Allow the sliced eggplant to rest for 30 mins.
2. Soak the walnuts in water for up to 30 mins, so set this up at the same Stime you do the eggplant. Soaking the walnuts removes phytic acid, and other inhibiting enzymes that can make digestion of nuts a little difficult. It will also protect the delicate walnut oil during the toasting/roasting process.
3. Heat a grill, (or you can do this in the oven, if you do not have a bbq or grill), brush grill top with oil, and then add the garlic cloves (in skin), soaked walnuts, and sliced eggplant.
4. When the garlic is beginning to swell, and break the skin, the walnuts are toasted, but not burnt, and the eggplant is showing grill marks and soft, remove from the grill.
5. In a blender, add the eggplant, almond ricotta, toasted walnuts, truffle paste, smoked salt, and peeled roasted garlic cloves, and tiny pinch of cinnamon. Pulse the mixture and then blend at low speed then gradually increase speed. Blend mixture until very smooth.
6. Taste, and adjust seasoning such as the salt, cinnamon, as desired.
7. Store in an air tight container in the fridge. Will keep well for up to a week.