Gorgonzola Toasts

This past weekend my friend Melissa and I hosted a baby shower for our dear friend Anna. This was one of the appetizers. It is incredibly delicious, very simple, with strong flavors that just really complement each other well. August and September are definitely the best months to make this when tomatos are at their very best.

This recipe in its original form is called, "Height-of-Summer Five Tomato Salad with Gorgonzola Toasts. It it from a fantastic cook book by Chef Joanne Weir called Cooking in the Wine Country. I have made a few modifications just to make it easier, and because I can't seem to ever stick to a recipe.

1/3 C pine nuts, toasted just till slightly brown 4 T unsalted butter , at room temperature 1 small container gorgonzola cheese (between 6-8oz) 6 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 6 T Balsamic Vinegar 2 T Honey 1 pound assorted Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half, and if necessary in half again. 1 loaf of your favorite country style bread.

Preheat oven to 350. Slice the bread and place on a cookie sheet. Mix together the butter and gorgonzola cheese with the warm toasted pine nuts. Spread on the bread and toast in the oven for about 12 minutes. Mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and the honey. When the bread is golden brown take it out of the oven and move the toasts to a platter. Spread the tomatoes all across the top. Drizzle a large amount of the oil mixture across the top. This serves about 20 people.

A few side notes. You can really use any tomatoes that you want. A variety of cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are usually available year round. When available go with a variety of heirloom tomatoes. Some of my favorites are zebras stripes (purple and green), brandywine, orange, yellow.

Do not use a soft variety of bread. It gets to soupy with the oils.