Making The Gratin:

1. Place the eggplant slices in a baking dish, salt them, and let them lose their strong juices for about one hour.

2. While the eggplants disgorge, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nice heavy pot. Sauté the onion until a golden color. Add the tomatoes, 1 clove of garlic chopped fine, the basil leaves, and the herbs. Salt and pepper to taste and let cook until the fondue looks nice and thick. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, crush each remaining garlic clove, peel it and put them all in a small pot. You should use all the cloves of the 4 heads of garlic listed above in the ingredients. (Seems like a lot of garlic, but do it) Add the veal stock and cook over medium heat until the garlic falls apart. Reduce them to a heavy puree. Strain this mixture through a conigal strainer and reserve for later use.

4. While the eggplants are curing and the tomatoes and garlic are cooking, prepare a cream sauce by making a white roux with the butter and flour and binding it with the scalded milk. Let it cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Blend the cream sauce and garlic puree as soon as the latter is ready. Beat one egg and gradually add some of the hot sauce to it. Then reverse the process and pour the egg and sauce mixture back into the bulk of the sauce. Correct the seasoning.

5. Remove the eggplant from it's dish. Rinse it under clear water and pat it dry. Put some flour in a paper bag and add the eggplant slices. This is the fastest way to flour them evenly.

6. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the eggplant slices until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels.

Building The Gratin:

7. Line a 2-quart rectangular baking dish with one layer of eggplant slices.

8. Top with the tomato fondue.

9. Top the fondue with whatever is left of the eggplant slices.

10. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. It should be about 1/2-inch thick.

11. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake in a 350 degree preheated over until the top is a light golden color.

For a dish so wonderfully rich tasting, the calorie-nutritional content isn't too serious.