Eggplant Stacks

I made this up with this afternoon because I didn't want to go to the store, and surprise, it's tasty :-). We ate this as a side dish but I think if you cut them into quarters and put toothpicks through the stacks, they would make great hors d'ouevres.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• thyme, chopped
• basil, chopped
• ~5 tblsp creme fraiche
• ~1 tsp avocado oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Peel eggplant and thinly slice into rounds. Place on a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let them sit for a few minutes to remove some of their moisture.
2. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and place eggplant on the sheet, and sprinkle with a bit of thyme and black pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the slices are soft and bendable.
3. Meanwhile, create the filling. Mix the creme fraiche and avocado oil thoroughly. Also mix in a few tsp of chopped basil and thyme.
4. Once the eggplant is done baking, make the stacks by spreading a very thin layer of the creme fraiche mixture between rounds of eggplant, into stacks about 5 slices high, and spread on top of each stack. Note: if some of the slices are thicker than others, spread a bit more creme on top of thicker slices to balance the flavor.
5. (If you are making this as an appetizer instead of a side dish, slice the stacks into quarters using a serrated knife, and then put a toothpick through each .)

Serving size: 1 large eggplant makes a bit more than 3 stacks.