Here is a great recipe for another way to use plum tomatoes for a tasty appetizer. I share the recipe because it would be wonderful with aperitifs in Provence as well as Northern California.
Crostini with oven-roasted tomatoes and fresh goat cheese
Makes about 30.
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh plum tomatoes, peeled, quartered, cored and seeded.
4 plump fresh cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced.
4 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed.
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
A pinch of granulated sugar.
Extra-virgin olive oil.
1 baguette.
4 ounces fresh soft goat cheese.
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| Tomatoes ready to go into oven |
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 250 F.
2. Arrange tomato quarters side by side on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle each quarter with salt, black pepper and granulated sugar. Place thyme leaves and 1 sliver of garlic on top of each quarter. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
3. Place in oven and cook until meltingly tender and reduced in size about 2 hours. Check the tomatoes from time to time. They should remain moist and soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool thoroughly.
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| Tomatoes just out of oven |
Directions continued
4. Slice baguette 1/4 inch thick (about 30 slices). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange baguette slices on a large rimmed baking sheet; brush both sides with olive oil. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, turn crostini over once during baking. Let cool on baking sheets.
5. Top each slice of toasted crostini with thin layer of soft goat cheese.
6. Place one quarter of oven-roasted tomatoes on crostini topped with goat cheese.
7. Arrange on a pretty platter to serve.
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| Crostini with oven-roasted tomatoes and fresh goat cheese |
Today, I made a double batch of these tasty morsels and we took them to a farewell party for one of Shirley's hospital colleagues. They were a big hit and they all disappeared.
Note: I think the best way to peel tomatoes is to cut an x into the non-stem end of the tomato. Blanch in boiling water for one minute, then plunge them into chilled water to refresh. Remove from water and tomato peels will slip off with ease.
Chapeau chef! A nice recipe and, like you, I have loads of tomatoes (I am not complaining! There is nothing like the flavor of fresh tomatoes.) I often make 'tarte aux tomates' using all of the tomatoes that I have harvested, cutting them into pieces, draining them and then dumping them into a pie crust. Sometimes I add basil, sometimes goat cheese, etc. Always good.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe suggestion Sullivans. Sounds like you are having a good summer in Michigan. Thanks for leaving a comment.
DeleteI would love this but for Nigel I would have to change the cheese!! He eats pretty much anything but hates goats cheese. Our tomatoes are excellent this year and I have been making pasta sauce and ratatouille for the winter months. Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteThat is too bad that Nigel does not like goat's cheese. There is so much you can do with it. I will admit I don't like goat's cheese that are aged as they get quite strong, but a fresh young goat cheese is wonderful. Thanks for checking in. Happy to hear you have a bumper crop of tomatoes.
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