Roasted Tomato Crostini with Whipped Goat Cheese

I look forward to my summer tomatoes every year, especially the beautiful yellow sun sweets which always grow in abundance. I sometimes find myself with various bowls of these little sugary tomatoes all over my kitchen and I'm constantly trying to find creative ways to use them up. Although this is probably best categorized as an appetizer, I love to have this for a quick light dinner with a chilled glass of crisp white wine. Its quick to pull together and not too heavy during those hot summer nights. Feel free to use whatever tomatoes you have on hand. The slow roast helps bring out the sweetness in just about every variety. 

Serves 4 as an appetizer and 2 as a dinner

For the Tomatoes
1 1/2 lbs Cherry Tomatoes
3 T Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves thinly Sliced
1 tsp Salt 
Fresh ground black pepper
A generous handful of fresh herbs ( Use a mix of whatever you like. I like to use oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage and basil) Use as many or as few as you like

For the Whipped Goat Cheese
4 oz. Goat Cheese at room temp
4 oz. Cream Cheese at room temp

For the Bread
1 Baguette cut into 1 inch thick slices
3T Olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic salt and fresh ground pepper


Preheat the oven to 320 degrees. In a baking dish, toss together the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and herbs until the tomatoes are well coated. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes. While the tomatoes are cooking, add the goat cheese and cream cheese to a mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula or a mixing spoon, cream the cheese together until they become well combined and spreadable. 

To prepare the baguette, preheat the grill the medium high or if you don't want to use the grill just set your broiler to high. Mix the oil, garlic salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the oil onto the baguette slices. Grill the bread until it start to turn golden brown and char in some places. If using a broiler, set it under the flame and watch it closely until the bread starts to char a bit. 

To serve, spread the cheese onto the warmed bread slices and top with the tomatoes, spooning over some of the juice. Enjoy!

*Variation - sometimes I like to add toasted pine nuts to the crostini for an added layer of flavor and texture. Give it a try if you have some on hand.