Name: Hasselback Tomatoes
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 8 ripe plum tomatoes, cored; 7 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 3/4 cups); 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves; 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs; 1 garlic clove, minced; Salt and pepper

Why This Recipe Works

For our version of this recipe—plum tomatoes sliced accordion-style and stuffed with cheesy bread crumbs—we ditched the bread-crumb filling and opted instead for a potent, flavorful homemade basil pesto. We then topped the tomatoes with handfuls of shredded Gruyère cheese for added punch. We placed the stuffed tomatoes under the broiler for just 5 minutes to slightly soften them without turning them to mush and to melt the cheese.

Before You Begin

For the best results, we recommend buying ripe tomatoes of similar weight and size. We developed this recipe with tomatoes that averaged 3 ounces in weight and 2½ inches in length.

Instructions

Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set wire rack in sheet. Using serrated knife, cut 1/4-inch-thick slice from 1 long side of each tomato. Turn tomatoes onto cut sides so they sit flat, then slice crosswise at 1/4-inch intervals, leaving bottom 1/4 inch of each tomato intact.

Process 3/4 cup Gruyère, basil, oil, panko, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in food processor until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 10 seconds.

Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Combine 3/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Carefully open tomato slices and sprinkle with salt-pepper mixture. Using small spoon, spread basil mixture evenly between tomato slices (about 2 tablespoons per tomato).

Arrange tomatoes on prepared wire rack. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Gruyère over tomatoes. Broil until cheese is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Serve.