Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Eggplant & Goat Cheese Toasts

Ingredients:

1 baguette, thinly sliced

2 pints cherry tomatoes, mixed colors look and taste the best

1-2 Japanese Eggplants (long skinny ones), or 1 cup cubed eggplant

1 log of goat cheese

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary

¼ cup fresh Basil

1 Tablespoon chopped garlic

Olive oil

1. Take a log of goat cheese out of the fridge and let it warm on the counter while you’re cooking away.

2. Roast the tomatoes… If you’ve never roasted tomatoes, it’s easy. Cut the tomatoes in half, toss with olive oil, chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, roast until skins start to shrink and the tomatoes are sizzling.

To roast the eggplant, slice thin a Japanese eggplant (Japanese eggplants are the long skinny ones) about ¼ inch thick.  Toss with olive oil, lay on a cookie sheet, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 400F until soft.

3. While the tomatoes are roasting, slice a baguette as thinly as possible. Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Place cookie sheet in the oven and toast until lightly golden, about 10-15 minutes. Then remove from the oven and place on a platter for serving.

4. Spread the room temperature goat cheese on the toasts.

5. When the tomatoes and eggplant are done, remove from oven and place one or two on top of each piece of toast. Press gently so the juicy insides squeeze out onto the cheese. Top with basil.