eggplant caviar - French Fridays w/ Dorie

I had the best of intentions to try and make last weeks assignment, but alas, I failed! Oh well, I didn't completely skip it, just delayed but it was worth it. Very simple and tasty and healthy. I sped up the process by microwaving the eggplant for about 8 minutes on high, then put it in the oven to roast. It turns out I didn't get a chance to take it out of the oven much earlier than the hour anyway, so it was nice and soft. I used a fork to mush up the pulp and mixed in pureed garlic and cilantro. I chopped fresh basil and also put in some baked tomatoes (the reason why the oven remained on for an hour). We ate the eggplant with Stacy's pita chips, the tomatoes, Cabot's Vintage Choice Cheddar cheese we got on vacation, and a few olives. It was a nice light, yet very flavorful, dinner.