Roasted Vegetables with Parmesan Custard

This is a great 'go to' dish when you are entertaining at home and want to be able to socialize with your guests. It stays warm for a long time, so you can make it early and serve it 3 hours later or simply serve it at room temp.

Ingredients:

2 med Eggplants

3 med Zucchini

2 Red Bell Peppers

1 sm. Red Onion

12 Campari tomatoes or 8 med beefsteak tomatoes

Fresh herbs, basil, oregano, thyme (about 2 T each chopped), if fresh are not available then 1t each dried

Red Pepper Flakes

Juice of half a med Lemon

3 Eggs at room temp

1/2 c Milk

1 c plus 6 T Parmesan cheese

1 head of Garlic

Olive oil as needed for the vegetables

Balsamic Vinegar

8"sq. baking dish

Preheat the oven to 350.

Begin by baking the tomatoes. Prepare a baking dish by brushing it with olive oil. Cut the washed tomatoes in 1/2 and lay them skin sides down in the baking dish. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top, then add THICK sliced garlic to the top of each tomato. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When cool you can remove the skins from the tomatoes (optional.)

While the tomatoes are roasting, peel and slice the zucchini to about 1/4 inch, sprinkle with a little salt and press in between paper towels to remove some of the liquid. Do the same with the zucchini. I like to grill the vegetables to add another depth of flavor. I brush them with olive oil and put the on the grill to brown on both sides, being careful not to char them

Put the bell peppers on the grill to blister so you can remove the skins. Once the skins are removed, slice them into strips.

Thinly slice the red onion and saute on top of the stove and add some red pepper flakes and the red pepper strips.

Using a food processor or a blender, make the custard. Add the eggs, milk, chopped herbs, 6 cloves of peeled garlic, lemon juice, 1 c Parmesan cheese and blend until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 450 and put a rack in the lower two thirds of the oven.

Layer the eggplant on the bottom of the pan, overlapping the edges slightly. Sprinkle with 1T Parmesan cheese. Put a layer of zucchini over the eggplant, sprinkle with 1T Parmesan cheese, Add a layer of the Bell Pepper/Onion and sprinkle with 1T Parmesan cheese. Next pour half the custard mixture over the vegetables and begin again. When you have put the Bell Pepper/Onion mixture in then add the tomatoes and finish the top with the rest of the custard. Bake uncovered and check after 45 minutes. If the custard is bubbling and the top is lightly brown then it is ready.

Remove from the oven and let rest.