Tomato Gratin

Tomatoes bountiful?

It is this simple – anything with cheese on it is better. Enough said. Cheers to the marriage of the tomato and the cheese in this dish.

2 slices bread

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup  favorite cheese

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

dash freshly ground pepper

dash salt

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a shallow 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.

Place bread in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add garlic, oil and cheese; pulse to combine. Spread the seasoned breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, layer tomato slices in the prepared baking dish, sprinkling each layer with basil, pepper and salt. Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes; sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs, and bake for 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Mark T. Carboni shares his Cookin With Carbo party recipes with Shindigz