This recipe is my farewell to the summer—cherry tomatoes are usually the only fruits small enough to still ripen when the sun starts to wane and the cool nights of autumn re-introduce themselves into the garden. They’re the last breath of summer’s harvest. To extract every ounce of sweet tannic flavor from each juicy little flavor bomb, I recommend slow-roasting them. This keeps the bottom of the tomato from charring and blackening (as will often happen if you roast for a short amount of time at a high temperature), and helps preserve the delicate bright flavors of juicy summer tomatoes.

Once you’ve roasted them, you’ve got some options. You can throw some in a container in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for a few weeks, or you can freeze them on a baking sheet, and then pick the frozen ones off and place them in a plastic bag in the freezer, to make for easier storage and more customizable portion sizes (since you can easily grab a couple of them rather than having to thaw an entire jar to use at once). And you can set some freshly roasted ones aside to use for a delicious and simple garlic shrimp bruschetta.

If you’re unfamiliar with bruschetta, it’s an Italian dish that consists of toasted slices of bread, rubbed with raw garlic, and topped with olive oil, salt, fresh tomato, and basil. You can add other goodness to it, too, but these toppings are the mainstays. For this recipe, I top my bruschetta with the slow roasted cherry tomatoes and some shrimp sautéed with a generous amount of garlic. And there’s fresh basil, salt, and olive oil in the mix as well, of course. This makes for a delicious and simple meal that’s as nourishing for the body as it is for the spirit, whether it’s enjoyed as a lunch, an appetizer amongst a group of friends, or a dinner between a couple. It’s my favorite way to use up those last juicy little summer gems, and goes very well with a glass of red wine and good company. Enjoy, my friends 🙂