Cherry tomatoes in the summer have a magical pull. One minute you’re strolling through the farmers market; the next you’re walking around balancing six precious pints of colorful little orbs. They are sweet, juicy flavor bombs that don't need a lot of work to stand out in a recipe. Simply blistering them in a pan with a little garlic and salt makes them jammy in no time. In just a few minutes they’re ready to be slathered over tangy yogurt or labneh, topped with fresh chives and oily anchovies for a punch of umami. Big toasts make great dinner, and we know it. —Rachel Gurjar
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What you’ll need
Small Bowl
$15 At Amazon
Microplane Grater
$18 At Amazon
Medium Skillet
$50 At Amazon
Offset Spatula
$12 At Amazon
Silicone Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
2 servings
Ingredients
¾
½
1
½
2
2
4
1
Preparation
Step 1
Stir labneh, lemon zest, lemon juice, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl to combine.
Step 2
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Toast bread, turning halfway through and adding more oil if pan looks dry, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plates.
Step 3
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet. Cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until blistered and starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Smash some tomatoes with spoon and continue to cook until they have released some of their juices and are beginning to collapse, about 2 minutes more. Season with kosher salt.
Step 4
Spread labneh mixture on toasts; spoon tomatoes over. Top with anchovies and chives, drizzle balsamic glaze over, and season with sea salt.
Leave a Review
Reviews (25)
Back to TopNot leaving a star rating because I made too many changes, but posting this review to say: go ahead and make this if you don’t have balsamic glaze! You can stir in a tiny amount of balsamic vinegar in the last 2 minutes and let it reduce. If you’re not a fan of anchovies, you could cut them into small pieces and stir them in at this point, too; you’ll still get umami (and healthy fat), but you won’t really notice the flavour. Also, finely sliced basil is nice on top if you don’t have chives. Really tasty, and while the original is the best recipe, this is still a great lunch even with multiple alterations!
Anonymous
8/25/2023
Easy and rich. Perfect appetizer for drop in company or a light dinner for two.
Sue Kelley
Rancho Mirage, CA
7/27/2023
Everyone loves these.
Jimbeau
Port Colborne, ON, Canada
4/26/2023
Very good recipe. We made a couple. For one we substituted the yogurt and cheese combo with some smashed and diced avacado. Both were amazing.
Lapp
Texas
8/1/2022
This was really delicious and so easy. I actually loved the added flavor of lemon peel and lemon. Will definitely make this again and again throughout summer!
Brigitta
Stockholm, Sweden
7/14/2022
Pretty to look at... but the sour note from the labneh (made even more sour by the addition of lemon) is overpowering. Ricotta would be the way to go.
MKNYC
New York
6/20/2022
Very good recipe! My only complaint is that you didn't acknowledge that it was inspired by Yotam Ottolengi's recipe for "Hot, charred cherry tomatoes with cold yogurt."
Sandy
San Diego, Ca.
6/12/2022