Broiled Spicy Cherry Tomato Appetizer.

Tomatoes are just starting to become ripe in the garden.  We sit on the precipice of a deluge of tomatoes ripening and my kitchen overflowing with these incredibly flavorful fruit (yes, a fruit).  I wait all year for them.  Sweet, flavorful… I use them in so many different ways.  These little cherry tomatoes are perfect for appetizers on a hot summer night.  Even better for an appetizer at a party.  You can use whatever cheese you love, I had on hand some lovely extra sharp Cabot cheddar and I knew I had to use it on these.  Gruyere or a spicy jalapeño jack would also be fun!

Along with the important cheese decision, I had some delectable spicy Panko breadcrumbs that Firefood just sent me and I knew it would be a perfect topper.  Start to finish these took about 5 minutes to prepare.  I was eating and enjoying them within minutes.

Ingredients:

2 pints of cherry tomatoes (use however many you need) I used orange and red, sliced in  half
Dijon mustard (I used Maille)
Cheese of  your choice (cheddar, Gruyere, jalapeño jack) shredded on the fine setting (about 1/3 cup)
Panko bread crumbs, I used Firefood chipotle garlic Panko – you can use plain as well
Chives, for garnish (cut into small pieces)

Directions:

Line a broiler pan with foil and set the broiler to high.  Place each cherry tomato half cut side up.  With the back of a spoon I coated each tomato top with some dijon mustard.  Then gently mound up the cheese on each little tomato.  Top with the Panko.  Broil for 45 seconds to 1 minute or until the cheese and Panko are toasted and bubbling.  Garnish with chives.  Remove and serve on a platter.  Enjoy~

— Knead to Cook