Savoring Summer Tartine, With Cherry Tomato And Strawberry

• 6 ounces of the sweetest yellow cherry tomatoes you can find, preferably locally grown (about 20 tomatoes)
• 3 ounces ripe strawberries, preferably locally grown (about 4-5 strawberries)
• 4-5 tender leaves of curly endive or frisee, washed, thoroughly dried
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese (such as Montrachet) set in a large metal mixing bowl at room temperature to soften
• 4 ounces Fourme d'Ambert (or another mild, soft, crumbly blue cheese), at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 3 T heavy whipping cream, divided
• 6 slices whole grain country bread
• Tarragon infused olive oil (see recipe below)
• Tarragon-Cherry Tomato vinaigrette (see step 6)
• Fleur de sel

1. Prep fruits and frisee: Set a fine meshed sieve over a small bowl. Slice each cherry tomato in half, then cut each half into quarters, and carefully place in sieve. Repeat until you have cut all the tomatoes. Using a light hand and a spoon, gently fluff tomatoes, pulling from the bottom up so that excess juice drips through the sieve into the bowl. Set aside to allow juices to continue to drain.
2. Hull strawberries and thinly slice lengthwise. Place slices in a bowl and set aside.
3. Chop frisee and place in a bowl. You should have a heaping cup of greens.
4. Prep cheese:rnAdd 3 T heavy whipping cream to goat cheese. With an electric mixer, whip until mixture is soft and light, about a minute. Use spatula to scrape out all the cheese and transfer mixture to a small bowl (at this point, you can wash out your mixing bowl if desired or just continue with the blue cheese, as I did). Add room temperature Fourme d'Ambert to mixing bowl along with 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream. Whip until mixture is soft and light, about two minutes, and transfer mixture to a small bowl. rnrn**Cheese can be whipped and refrigerated, covered tightly, a day in advance.
5. Prep bread:rnBrush one side of each slice with tarragon infused olive oil. Heat grill pan over medium high heat.
6. Make Vinaigrette: Fluff tomatoes one last time over bowl. Transfer tomatoes to another bowl. Depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes, you should have between 1-2 tablespoons of accumulated juice. Add 1 Tablespoon Tarragon infused olive oil and 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar to cherry tomato juice. Whisk to emulsify. Set aside.
7. When grill pan is hot, place each slice of bread, oiled side down, for two minutes. Flip bread and toast for two minutes more. Remove from pan and allow bread to cool for a minute or two (you do not want your cheese to be runny). Depending on the size of your bread and grill pan, you may be able to do all six slices at once. If not, grill in batches. Alternatively, you could also toast on a pan in a 350-degree oven for 3-4 minutes.
8. Make your tartines: Spread three pieces of bread (oiled side) with whipped goat cheese, and three with whipped blue cheese. For each tartine, add a thin layer of sliced strawberries, followed by a small heap of chopped frisee and generous spoonfuls of cherry tomatoes. Top with about a teaspoon of vinaigrette and finally a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Slice each in half, if desired, as a starter for an al fresco supper. Make sure each person gets both versions. Enjoy, outside, with loved ones and a glass of your favorite white, and let summer last a little longer.
9. FOR TARRAGON INFUSED OLIVE OIL:rn1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oilrn1 large sprig fresh tarragon (mine was a 7 inch piece), washed and thoroughly dried (see photo 2)rn******************************************************************************rnIn a small, heavy bottomed saucepan, pour extra virgin olive oil over tarragon. Most of the tarragon should be submerged in the oil (press down gently on any leaves that are sticking above the surface). Gently bring up the heat - you do not want your oil to boil, but rather evenly simmer and bubble ever so slightly. Cook for 30 minutes. Strain oil into a glass jar with a lid, discarding solids. Allow oil to cool, enough to touch the jar comfortably. Close the jar and store oil in the refrigerator until needed. Oil should keep at least a week. Use leftover oil for a lovely anise scented vinaigrette.

tomatoes, strawberries, tender, goat cheese, fourme, t, grain country bread, tarragon, tarragoncherry tomato vinaigrette

Taken from food52.com/recipes/13952-savoring-summer-tartine-with-cherry-tomato-and-strawberry (may not work)