Crostini with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Herbs

Roasted tomatoes. How can something so simple taste so surprisingly good?! and why have I ignored this preparation for so long?! Whether you choose to roast Romas or select mini tomatoes instead, the results will be delicious... sweet, somewhat sticky and intensely flavorful. This is not a new idea, similar recipes have been around for ages. However it took a quart container of very ripe cherry tomatoes and a library copy of David Lebovitz's 2014 cookbook, In My Paris Kitchen, to bring this recipe into my kitchen this week.

Not that Martha, Ina, Jamie, Saveur, Food & Wine and a gazillion other sites (actually 2.27 million Google entries) don't provide tempting versions of the same dish, but Leibovitz's entertaining style and the beautiful photos drew me in. Just look at his gorgeous crostini!

    

The dish is so simple that it doesn't need a lengthy set of directions. The short version is:

• Cut small tomatoes in half and fill a baking dish in a single layer
• Drizzle with a 3-count of olive oil; add a handful of fresh herbs plus salt & pepper; toss to coat
• Roast in a 375 F oven until juices are released and begin to thicken
• Cool and enjoy

See... simple. Roasting concentrates the tomatoey essence, transforming even imported winter hothouse tomatoes into richly-aromatic flavor bombs. Can you tell, we loved them!?  

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

a la David Lebovitz et al

1 ½ pounds cherry tomatoes, stemmed & halved

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 fat cloves garlic, peeled & thinly sliced

Handful of fresh herbs (rosemary & basil)

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Arrange cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and herbs in a 9x13 baking dish, or any other just large enough hold them in snuggled in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper, toss to mix well, and spread them out again into a single layer.

Place in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes, remembering to stir occasionally, until the tomato halves wilt and release their juices, roughly 45 minutes. The juices will begin to thicken and turn golden in the bottom of the baking dish. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Lebovitz notes the tomatoes can sit up to 8 hours, and actually improve in flavor as marinate in their own juices.

Crostini

Crusty Artisan bread, cut in thick slices

Olive oil

1 fat clove garlic, peeled & halved

Fresh herbs for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush both sides of the bread lightly with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and toast until just golden brown. Remove from the oven and rub generously with the cut side of the garlic cloves. Cool to room temperature.

To assemble:

Slather each crostini with some Boursin cheese, or herb-flavored cream cheese. Spoon the tomatoes and their juices over the toasts. Garnish with sprigs of fresh herbs and/or fresh basil leaves. 

Notes:

• We used knives and forks on these wide crostini slices; they were too juicy for finger food. Smaller, one-bite slices from thin baguettes might work for casual, hand-held snacks.
• The first pan of roasted tomatoes disappeared so quickly that cherry tomatoes immediately went to the top of the next grocery list. This might even call for a special trip. 
• Now I can't wait to explore more Leibovitz recipes, both online and from the cookbook In My Paris Kitchen. Drat! now the library wants its copy back.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs with a Lox Rosette

A Spring 2015 Brunch Menu

Mention a celebration brunch and I immediately envision Eggs Benedict with extra Hollandaise... Sticky Buns dripping with caramel... Onion Bagels loaded with Lox and Cream Cheese... Creampuffs... Shrimp and Creamy Cheese Grits... Oh, how that list goes on. This year I aimed for a lighter menu when planning a brunch with friends to welcome Spring. Reality check: Pat prefers healthy meals and Rick is training for an April IronMan triathlon, so I lost any real excuse to get wild and crazy with butter and sugar. Okay, that also meant I would spend less time on last-minute cooking and more time visiting with guests - always a good thing.   

Not that every item was light and low calorie (think ham-and-cheese filled croissant with herb sauce), but the buffet did offer a variety of choices; hopefully something for everyone. Conversation flourished, the hours flew by, and Spring joined the party with a fine display of ever-changing weather. 

Brunch Menu: Spring 2015

Smoked Salmon Squares

Caprese Salad with a Light Vinaigrette

*Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs With Lox

Fresh Fruit Platter with Minty Honey Lime Sauce

Baked Croissants with Ham, Havarti, Sliced Pear & Herb Sauce

Mini Cheese Quiches with Peppers, Spinach & Chicken Sausage

Orange Juice (Champagne available)

Coffee

My favorite brunch choice? I thought it would be the small croissant sandwiches, but instead I ate more than my share of the deviled eggs. That shouldn't have been a surprise when both smoked salmon and lox were involved! The filling was an unusual flavor departure from any of my previous favorites (link), but why stick to just one filling when so many tempting recipes are available? (link) 

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs Plus Lox

adapted from a recipe in a SeriousEats post by J. Kenji López-Alt: 9 In-Your-Face Deviled Egg Variations

Ingredients:
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 heaping tablespoons cream cheese (reduced fat)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (Best Foods lite)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon, grated

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (Colman's)
1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon toasted onion powder (not onion salt)
heaping 1/4 cup minced smoked salmon
Kosher Salt

For garnish:
Thinly sliced scallions 

Paper-thin slices of lox, cut into strips and rolled into rosettes

Capers, rinsed and drained

Directions:
Place all of the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, dry mustard, sesame seeds, onion powder, and smoked salmon to the yolks. Use a sturdy whisk or a fat fork and combine thoroughly -mash, stir and whip together until thoroughly combined. Season with salt to taste.



Note: To prepare these ahead of time, the filling and egg white halves can be stored separately overnight in covered containers in the refrigerator before filling. (Place the egg white halves cut-side-down in a single layer.) 

If you have a steady hand, use a spoon to fill each egg white half. For a more attractive result spoon the filling into a ziplock bag, cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Either way, mount the filling to slightly overstuff each cavity. Garnish each deviled egg with sesame seeds, scallion rings, capers and a lox rosette. Serve immediately.