One of my all-time favorite foods is, of course, cheese. My favorite summertime food is hand down a fresh, ripe tomato. Here are two recipes that feature both. Enjoy!

Caprese Salad

Serves four as an appetizer

1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced into thick slices
4 lg tomatoes, sliced into thick slices
1/2 c loosley packed basil leaves
Sea salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar

Alternatley layer the tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. Between each layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. These ingredients also work well for pizza toppings or as a pannini.

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Roasted Tomato Tart

Serves 6 as a side dish or appetizer

2 lbs of plum tomatoes halved lengthwise
2 T plus 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c shredded Gruyère or Comte cheese
3 1/2 t chopped fresh thyme
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut out a 10-inch round using a dinner plate. Transfer round to baking sheet and chill until ready to use. Toss tomatoes with 2 T olive oil, 2 t thyme, 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper in a bowl until well coated. Roast tomatoes in one layer with cut side up in another foil lined baking pan in the middle of oven for 1 hr. Brush pastry round with 2 t oil and sprinkle with 1 t thyme. After roasting tomatoes 1 hr, move pan to bottom rack of oven and place the pastry in the middle rack. Bake pastry and tomatoes until the pastry is browning and the tomatoes are browning around the edges, yet still juicy, aprroximately 12-15 min. While pastry is still warm, sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over it. Top the cheese with the roasted tomatoes cut side down and in one layer. Sprinle evenly with the remaining thyme, salt and pepper to taste.