The Thompson Kitchen

Approachable, everyday recipes

Gretchen Blazer Thompson

Goat Cheese Tomato Toast

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This is one of those magical “non-recipes, recipes.”  Goat cheese tomato toast sounds so simple, but when you use fresh summer tomatoes and good bread, this is something you’ll end up dreaming about.  I used heirloom tomatoes, which I think have a deeper, more complex flavor, but fresh on-the vine tomatoes would work great as well.  The sweetness of the tomatoes, creaminess of the goat cheese, crunchy-ness of the toast, all topped with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper make the perfect combination.

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Garlic Scape Butter

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Have you ever had a garlic scape?  The first time I ever saw them was at a farmers market a few years ago.  The women who sold them to me said they were kind of like a cross between garlic and green onions.  Now this is something I can get behind!  I bought them, but then was at at loss of what to make, so I gave them to Rich’s aunt.  She was familiar with garlic scapes and said she fried potatoes on the stove with them.  Genius!

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Honey Peach Bellini

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To continue with my love of peaches, here is my favorite peach cocktail, the peach bellini.  Peach bellinis are delicious no matter what, but wow homemade ones are amazing!  They would be ideal for summer entertaining, brunch, or lounging by the pool.  But lets be real, a bellini would make any summer activity better.  Even yard work…

Bellinis are an Italian sparkling wine cocktail made with sweetened peach puree and prosecco*.  The peach puree is usually sweetened with sugar, but I used honey instead.  I think honey is the key to the cocktail.  This is because you want the bellinis to be subtle, not overwhelmingly sweet.  Plus, peaches and honey were practically made for each other.

The same idea goes for the sparkling wine or prosecco you use in this cocktail.  You want something not overly sweet, so Brut usually works well.  Don’t feel like you need to spend a fortune on the sparkling wine, I use Trader Joes brand or a $12 bottle from my local wine store.

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Roasted Eggplant with Sauteed Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

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I love eggplant.  I used to be intimidated to cook it, not knowing what to do with it or how to cook it.  But then I figured out how to properly salt it to draw out the bitterness, and roast it.  Life changing moment.  I’m not going to lie, it took me years of fiddling to get there.

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