Author Notes
I grow lots of different organic heirloom tomatoes in my garden. I love the little ones, specifically the sungolds and yellow pears, and this simple fondue-like creation is one of my new favorite ways to use them. It was inspired by a baked fontina dish I saw on Leite's Culinaria, and makes a great start to a meal or a meal on its own. - WinnieAb —WinnieAb
Test Kitchen Notes
WinnieAB's recipe produces a gooey, cheesy, tomato-laden amalgam that begs to be mopped up with a hearty bread. This dish comes together very quickly with a minimum of prep work making it a wonderful appetizer. I used only sungolds because I had an abundance from my garden. Just over 8 ounces of Italian fontina produced 2 cups of cubes. The tomatoes reduce a bit in the oven, and get lightly golden brown. The pre-roasting ensures the final result is not watery. The thyme lends an herbal perfume. The fontina melts beautifully, and has a nutty, rich flavor that is perfect against the tangy but sweet tomatoes. If you can't find a good fontina, gruyere would make a nice substitute. I will definitely be making this dish again! - hardlikearmour —hardlikearmour
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
2
heaping cupfuls of little tomatoes (slice before measuring)
-
2
cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
-
1 tablespoon
fresh thyme leaves, divided
-
2 tablespoons
olive oil
-
2 cups
Fontina cheese, cubed (make sure it's Italian Fontina)
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
-
Spread the sliced tomatoes out in a baking dish (I like to use a cast-iron skillet). Add the garlic and 1.5 teaspoons of the thyme leaves to the pan with the tomatoes, and drizzle with the olive oil.
-
Place in oven and allow the tomatoes to roast for 20 minutes.
-
Remove tomatoes from oven and carefully (because the pan will be very hot) add the cubes of fontina all around the roasted tomatoes. Return the baking pan or skillet to the oven for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
-
Scatter the rest of the thyme leaves over the cheese, along with a pinch of fine sea salt and a bit of fresh pepper, if you like. Serve hot with your favorite bread or crackers.
I grew up in a restaurant family (my parents owned the now closed Quilted Giraffe in NYC) and I've always loved to cook.
My interest in the connection between food and health led me to pursue a graduate degree in naturopathic medicine. I don't practice medicine anymore; I have a blog called Healthy Green Kitchen that I started in May of 2009 and I wrote a book called One Simple Change that will be published in January, 2014.
I live in upstate New York with my family and many pets.
See what other Food52ers are saying.