Chèvre and chive stuffed tomatoes with crispy prosciutto

A delightful appetizer that’s full of flavour!

The flavour of these yummy little bites is reminiscent of a BLT minus the bread (and therefore carb and gluten free!). Creamy goat cheese, bright tasting chives and smoky shards are prosciutto are the perfect filling for fresh tomatoes. This would be a great appetizer or party platter but you could also serve it as a first course in lieu of a more complicated salad dish.

Ingredients

• 2 slices prosciutto
• 1/3 cup (90 mL) goat cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh chives, minced
• 12 cherry tomatoes or 3 larger ‘cocktail’ tomatoes

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Place the prosciutto on a parchment-lined baking tray.
• Cook in the preheated oven until crispy, 5 – 8 minutes. Watch it carefully so it does not burn.
• Put the goat cheese in a bowl and crumble the crisp prosciutto into shards, scattering over the goat cheese.
• Add the pepper and chives to the cheese and stir well to combine.
• With a very sharp knife, cut a very small slice off the bottom of each tomato so it will stand upright without wobbling on a plate.
• With the tip of the knife, hollow out the tomatoes, being careful not to pierce the sides. A grapefruit spoon may help with scooping out the flesh and seeds.
• With a small spoon, fill each of the tomatoes with the goat cheese mixture.
• Refrigerate until one hour before serving time then let sit out, covered, to come up to room temperature.