The Sweet Taste of Summer

Tending to plants in the summer has really become a hobby of mine. The whole process of buying starter plants from my local garden shop, placing them into their pots and watching them begin to grow as the spring and summer continues is enjoyable. The weather this year has been perfect for the growth of my plants, especially my cherry tomatoes. Because of their abundance, I have come up with many recipes in which to use them. There is one in particular that is easy to make and thoroughly enjoyable. It pairs perfectly with the red wine in our shipment this month, the 2010 Super T. And, remember, this wine is 30% off for Members until August 31t!

Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

• About 20 – 30 small cherry tomatoes
• Package of goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup of parmesan cheese
• 1 package of pizza dough (homemade or purchased at your local specialty store, such as Trader Joe’s)

Preheat grill to medium heat. Spread the pizza dough out flat as if you were making a pizza. Coat a piece of foil with olive oil and place the pizza dough on the foil. Once the grill is warm, place the pizza dough on foil on the grill. Watch the bread as it cooks, allowing it to brown slightly on the bottom. Remove from heat after about 10 minutes.

In a medium skillet, warm the olive oil on medium heat. Once the pan is warm add the cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Continue to cook the tomatoes until they have split from the heat.

Place goat cheese at the bottom of a serving bowl and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Once the cherry tomatoes have split, pour them over the goat cheese. Break the bread into pieces and use to scoop the cheese and tomato mixture. Enjoy!

—Lindsay Neumann

–What is your favorite summertime ingredient?