Fresh Mozzarella Stuffed with Grilled Eggplant

Warm fresh mozzarella, nothing better and so much easier to make then you would think.  There are many recipes and techniques, but all you really need is cheese curd, water and salt.  The first step is to get a pot of boiling salted water in one bowl, a bowl of ice water and a third bowl with room temp salted water and a little bit of milk.  The order is ice water for your hands, boiling water to melt the curd and the final bowl is the room temperature water with the salt and milk to put your mozzarella balls in.  Now this recipe is a little different because i put the curd after it was melted and formed onto a sheet trey wrapped in plastic wrap and flattened it while it was hot.  After that i placed the now flat mozzarella into the fridge to cool to let it set for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Now how to do the eggplant.  First I sliced the eggplant very thin on a mandolin, then seasoned it with salt, pepper, olive oil and a little white balsamic vinegar, then grilled the eggplant on both sides.  Be careful, because they are very thin, so they can burn easily if you do not pay attention.  After grilling them i placed them into a marinade that consists of balsamic vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, balsamic reduction, salt, pepper, basil and roasted garlic.  After i emulsified the dressing i added some small diced red onions.  You can make this a day or two ahead of time and let the eggplant absorb all the wonderful flavors.  Now that you have your eggplant mixture and flattened fresh mozzarella, you are ready to roll.  I seasoned the cheese with some salt and pepper first, then spread some roasted garlic and finally placed our delicious marinated eggplant on top and then roll.  Use the plastic wrap to help you roll the log of cheese.  When done rolling you have to rewrap the stuffed cheese and make sure to tie the ends off with some extra plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and let set.  When ready to serve, slice the cheese with a very sharp knife and leave the plastic wrap on so it does not fall apart while slicing.  Then peel off the extra plastic wrap and place on a platter or over a salad, you can use the extra marinade to toss with some greens and vegetables if you would like.  This recipe was outrageous! i highly recommend giving it a try.  Enjoy and have fun cooking.