Roasted tomatoes with goat cheese and pesto

When it comes to dinner I usually take charge of the kitchen, boiling water, pre-heating the oven, or warming saute pans. I feel a little bad that I don't often let Paul into the mix, but there is something about moving among the pans and ingredients as the one in charge of the final recipe that I love about cooking. I do however completely support the switch when he decides to make pesto. I step away from the food processor, letting him have free reign of the mixture, which usually involves the non-traditional addition of roasted almonds, walnuts, or pistachios. Last week he made a fresh batch which I quickly worked into every recipe possible. One of the standout dishes ended up being the simplest. Thick slices of tomato, a spread of pesto, goat cheese and a dusting of salt and pepper placed under the broiler for 15 minutes resulted in perfectly tender bites of golden cheese and warmed pesto. Make sure to wipe the baking sheet with an olive oil coated paper towel so the tomatoes slide right off and onto the plate. I paired mine with salmon, but they would also work perfectly on top of a salad.

Ingredients:
1 large heirloom tomato
2-3 tblsp. pesto
2 tblsp. goat cheese
salt and pepper
olive oil

- Preheat broiler
- Slice tomato into thick 1/4" to 1/2" slices
- Wipe baking sheet with olive oil, then lay tomato slices on top
- Spread a dollop of pesto, then add crumbled goat cheese
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place under broiler until soft (but not runny) and the goat cheese has browned slightly