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1
Trim the stems and ends from the eggplants.
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2
Remove strips of peel about 1 inch wide from the eggplants, leaving about half the peel intact.
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3
Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and place them in a colander.
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4
Sprinkle with the coarse salt and let drain for 1 hour.
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5
Rinse the eggplant under cool running water, drain thoroughly, and pat dry.
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6
Whisk the eggs and 1 teaspoon salt together in a 13 x 9inch baking pan or wide, shallow bowl.
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7
Spread the flour and bread crumbs in an even layer in two separate wide, shallow bowls or over sheets of wax paper.
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8
Dredge the eggplant slices in flour, shaking off the excess.
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9
Dip the floured eggplant into the egg mixture, turning well to coat both sides evenly.
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10
Let excess egg drip back into the pan, then lay the eggplant in the pan of bread crumbs.
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11
Turn to coat both sides well with bread crumbs, pressing with your hands until the bread crumbs adhere well to the eggplant.
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12
Pour 1/2 cup each of the olive and vegetable oils into a medium skillet.
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13
Heat over medium-high heat until a corner of one of the eggplant slices gives off a lively sizzle when dipped into the oil.
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14
Add as many of the eggplant slices as fit without touching and cook, turning once, until well browned on both sides, about 6 minutes.
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15
Remove the eggplant to a baking pan lined with paper towels and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices.
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16
Adjust the heat as the eggplant cooks to prevent the bits of coating that fall off the eggplant slices from burning.
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17
Add oil to the pan as necessary during cooking to keep the level more or less the same.
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18
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Heat the tomato sauce to simmering, if necessary, in a small saucepan over medium heat.
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19
Ladle enough sauce into a 9 x 13inch baking dish to cover the bottom.
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20
Sprinkle with an even layer of grated cheese and top with a layer of fried eggplant, pressing it down gently.
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21
Tear a few leaves of basil over the eggplant and ladle about 3/4 cup of the sauce to coat the top evenly.
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22
Sprinkle an even layer of grated cheese over the sauce and top with a layer of mozzarella or Fontina, using about one-third of the cheese.
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23
Repeat the layering as described above two more times, ending with a top layer of sliced cheese that leaves a border of about 1 inch around the edges of the baking dish.
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24
Drizzle sauce around the border of the baking dish and sprinkle the top layer with the remaining grated cheese.
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25
Finish with a few decorative streaks or rounds of tomato sauce.
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26
Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and poke several holes in the foil with the tip of a knife.
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27
Bake 30 minutes.
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28
Uncover, and continue baking until the top layer of cheese is golden in spots, about 15 minutes.
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29
Let rest 10 to 20 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.
