What is it about tiny fruits and vegetables? Why do I find them so endlessly appealing and adorable? Take these mini eggplants:
ADORABLE! And look at these tiny heads of garlic:
I mean people, I practically squealed.
So excited was I to find these at the Farmer's Market that I quickly came home and prepared them for dinner. I split the eggplants almost completely, leaving the tops intact, and stuffed them with crushed tiny cloves of garlic (eee!) and slivers of lemon.
I drizzled olive oil and lemon juice over the tops and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Some thyme sprigs rounded things out. 
Cover and cook for 45 minutes in a 400 degree oven, then uncover and cook until they are as soft as you'd like.
As ravenous as I was, I didn't get a shot of the final product in the dish, but it's very pretty. I did catch the leftovers, which I took with my lunch the next morning.
The result? Did the tininess make the eggplants more delicious? Honestly they were a little bitter but made a good foil against some rich salmon we had alongside.
But you can't beat them for sheer adorableness.
Normally (I stress upon 'normally') mini eggplants are not bitter but if they are, may be you have to do what you would do with the plain ordinary ones: cut them in two, rub them with salt, turn them over a plate and let them render their water. Then, rub them clean and cook them. The bitterness comes from the seeds. Let me know the results!
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