After the heavenly results we got with the Snap Peas with Bacon and Onions, and wanting to continue the French theme for the week, we decided to revisit The Country Cooking of France cookbook to see if we could find something equally appealing that utilized the current bounty of fresh summer produce. Lo and behold, we came across this recipe that takes full advantage of the lightly sweet, juicy tomatoes that pervade the markets this time of year. One of the truly fantastic things about the recipes in this cookbook is that they involve fairly few—usually inexpensive— ingredients paired with simple, elegant preparation techniques. That combination deliciously and delightfully results in dishes that are greater than the sums of their parts.
This version of the recipe is even more budget-friendly (Woohoo!) because the ingredients list has been streamlined by eliminating some of the fresh herbs called for. Not to worry, though. The parsley and garlic provide more than enough flavor and you wont miss the extra herbs. If, however, there are herbs that you love, feel free to add them in. Just use the total volume of the parsley in this recipe as a guide. It’s a great way to customize this dish. The original method also called for the baguette slices to be toasted in advance, but of course we questioned the efficiency of this additional step.
Throwing caution to the wind, the un-toasted bread slices were used to line the bottom of the baking dish and topped with the stuffed tomatoes. To our delight, and thanks to the olive oil, the roasting process was sufficient to crisp the bread, which also absorbed enough of the juices from the tomatoes that they took on some wonderful extra flavor without getting soggy. Double. Score.
Once out of the oven, the tomatoes were fork tender and filed with soft, beautifully tangy herbed goat cheese. We tried a couple of different serving options. First, the toasted bread served as a perfect base for crostini. We simply sliced the tomatoes and placed them on top, resulting in oozing, cheesy goodness.
The next iteration involved a simple salad of our old favorite baby arugula, topped with a whole roasted tomato and garnished with what might very well be one of the most fancy croutons we’ve had. Delicious and simple, these tomatoes are equally scrumptious served hot from the oven, at room temperature, or even chilled. That means they can be made ahead if necessary (which, of course, we love) for a ready-to-eat, or prêt à manger, light vegetarian meal for the lazy summer days ahead.
Adapted from The Country Cooking of France.
- 4 large tomatoes (about 1 ½ pounds)
- 4 to 5 slices from a baguette (gluten free or regular)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 ounces goat cheese, softened
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Salad leaves for serving (optional)
- Heat oven to 400℉. Cut tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds.
- Line a small gratin dish with the baguette slices and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
- For the filling, combine the goat cheese, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper (to taste). FIll the tomatoes with the goat cheese mixture, then drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place the tomatoes on top of the baguette slices.
- Bake until the cheese is very hot and the tomato skins start to split, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve the tomatoes with a few salad leaves, if desired.
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