As with my chicken Parmesan, seasoned panko bread
crumbs are the way to go here. When all is said and done,
the cross section of your eggplant slices should look
something like this: crisp and golden brown, with a dense,
meaty, fully cooked interior.
What’s that? You mean after you’ve done all that, you
still have to make sauce, grate cheese, assemble, and bake
this sucker? That’s right, young grasshopper: you gotta
pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues.
The sauce and cheese mixture are identical to the one
used in Chicken Parmesan (here)—the only difference is
in the layering. American eggplant Parmesan is generally
baked casserole style, like a lasagna, with the fried
eggplant taking the place of noodles. I see no reason to
veer from tradition in that regard.
FUN FACT: Despite the fact that the dish is called
eggplant Parmigiana, it actually has nothing to do with
Parma, the city in Emilia-Romagna that produces both
prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Depending on who you ask, the name comes from either