Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Rolls

My fiance is lactose intolerant, which means that he is basically on a diet all the time and will never be overweight. He can not eat cream, milk, sour cream, ice cream, cream cheese or any cheese EXCEPT goat cheese. So my future step mother-in-law gave us a cookbook called "Goat Cheese" by Georgeanne and Ethel Brennan. This was a very welcome gift and contains many delicious recipes. So far from this book, I have tried only this recipe. It calls for deep purple Japanese eggplant, which is a smaller version of the eggplant we are all used to. It makes 16-20 rolls and serves 4-6 people as a tasty appetizer.

So, here is the recipe.

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
4 Japanese eggplants, each 4 to 5 inches long
4 ounces of goat cheese

Preheat over to 450 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs.

To prepare the eggplants, trim off the stems and then cut lengthwise into slices 1/4 inch thick. Turn each slice in the olive oil, coating well, and place them on a baking sheet.

Bake, turning frequently, until tender and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. You may need to cook longer than 10 minutes. It should be a little be crispy, otherwise it will taste too soggy. Remove the eggplant slices from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

To form the rolls, evenly spread a generous teaspoonful of the goat cheese on one side of each eggplant slice. Starting at the stem end, cheese side facing upward, roll up the slice, then pierce with a toothpick so that the roll will hold its shape.

Arrange the rolls on a platter. Serve at room temperature.

Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Rolls