Cherry tomatoes are one of the great snacks of summertime. As their name suggests, they are small and compact (OK, those oversize, mushy salad- bar cherry tomatoes are not so small or compact) and ideal for popping in your mouth a few at a time.
Everything local is late this year, so only now, on the downward slope of August, are we getting great local cherry tomatoes: Sweet 100s (so called because each vine produces at least a hundred little fruits), pear tomatoes, grape tomatoes, Elfins, Sweet Pea Currants and my favorite, Sungolds.
If you can find Sungolds at the farmers market, buy them — they have the perfect texture and the perfect sweet/tart balance. (Yellow varieties tend toward mushiness.) Needless to say, they are best consumed raw; anything but the faintest heat ruins their texture and flavor.
The best way to serve this tomatoes is in a green salad with lots of onion or on a crostini with homemade ricotta. The ricotta is easy to make. You add acid and heat to milk and strain it through cheesecloth.
When you cut a ripe cherry tomato, you must do two things: One: Use a sharp knife, preferably a serrated one; and, two, cut through the stem end. Cutting it horizontally will smash the tomato.
Crostini With Cherry Tomatoes and Homemade Ricotta
Serves 4.
Ingredients
FOR THE RICOTTA:
4 cups whole milk
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon citric acid (available at Savory Spice)
Freshly ground pepper
FOR THE CROSTINI:
8 slices ciabatta, lightly toasted
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes, rinsed, stemmed and halved
1 teaspoon capers
Pinch chile flakes
3 leaves basil, torn
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup Homemade Ricotta (recipe follows)
Directions
First, make the ricotta: Place all ingredients except pepper in a small pot and stir to combine. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to 185 degrees (use a candy thermometer), just below a boil. Remove from heat and set in a warm place for one hour.
Pour the ricotta into a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a small bowl. Refrigerate until the ricotta is thoroughly drained, about two hours. Discard the liquid and season the ricotta with lots of ground pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble the crostini: Spread the ricotta over the crostini. Top with red onion, cherry tomatoes, capers, chile flakes, torn basil, and salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and red- wine vinegar, and serve immediately.
Note: You will have plenty of leftover ricotta. Use it for lasagna or to top a pasta bolognese or a stuffing for chicken breast.
