FARGO — Freshly picked tomatoes are one of life’s simple luxuries, and we have been enjoying this late-summer vegetable/fruit in a variety of dishes this month, including these Blue Cheese Blistered Tomatoes. This is an excellent dish to serve with grilled meats, bruschetta or pasta, and its explosive flavor guarantees that it is always a crowd pleaser. If you love tomatoes and blue cheese, this is the recipe for you.
This is a rustic dish made with just six ingredients, and the magic is in its preparation. Plump cherry tomatoes are tossed with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and thin slivers of garlic and are then roasted at 400 degrees just until their skins start to burst. They should appear gently blistered, and still able to hold most of their shape with just a little bit of juice spilling out.
This step takes about 20 to 22 minutes in my oven, and I start checking the tomatoes after 17 minutes to make sure they do not overcook. Once the tomatoes are ready, I immediately pour them into a bowl on top of the crumbled blue cheese, making sure to include all the garlic and any juices on the pan. I wait two minutes and then I gently toss the mixture together until well combined.
As they rest, the hot tomatoes will release their juices and blend into the blue cheese, creating a marvelous sauce that can be spooned over a dish or sopped up with good, crusty bread. Plump and juicy small tomatoes work best for this dish, like cherry, pear and cocktail varieties, as they are naturally plump and juicy. I have tried this recipe using grape tomatoes, but they are much firmer and did not produce the same result.
If you do not have a garden to pick from, you can find a bounty of beautiful, locally grown tomatoes from the Bill Erbes Farm and Driscoll Farms booths at The Market at West Acres, which is open from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I buy the blue cheese in crumbled or block form, depending on what is available at the grocery store, and gorgonzola also works well. The pungent tang of the cheese provides the perfect balance to the enhanced sweetness in the roasted tomatoes, and the slivered garlic adds just the right touch of spice.
This is a dish best served just after making it, when the tomatoes are still hot and juicy, and the cheese has not fully melted into the mixture. We serve it over grilled steaks and chicken, and it is also great spooned over a roasted pork tenderloin or a hunk of grilled bread. I have even tossed it with pasta noodles and chicken for a quick and easy option.
With their robust flavor and simple preparation, these Blue Cheese Blistered Tomatoes are a deliciously perfect dish to satisfy your late-summer tomato cravings. Serves: 4 Ingredients: Directions: Preheat the oven or grill to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. In a medium bowl, toss the sliced garlic with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
Add the whole tomatoes and toss until they are evenly coated. Spread the tomato mixture out on the foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer and place the blue cheese crumbles in the bowl; set aside. Roast the tomatoes until they begin to split open, and their juices start to spill out, about 20 to 22 minutes.
They should appear gently blistered, and still able to hold most of their shape with just a little bit of juice spilling out. Immediately add the blistered tomatoes to the bowl with the blue cheese crumbles, including the garlic slivers and any juice that has spilled onto the foil. Let the mixture sit for 2 minutes and then gently toss to combine – the hot tomatoes will continue to release their juices and partially melt the blue cheese to create a terrific sauce for spooning atop steaks, chicken and pork, serving atop bruschetta and crostini or sopping up with good bread.
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