Tapas Thursday - Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

For this week Tapas Thursdays, I decided to use what I had on hand and raided the pantry, freezer and refrigerator.  The garden's tomato plants continue to produce such lovely varieties of tomatoes it seems a shame not to eat every single one.

3 medium tomatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. light brown sugar

pinch of salt

4 oz. cream cheese or goat cheese

8 mini-pastry shells

fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl, mix tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and salt.  Pour into a shallow baking dish and let bake for 15 - 20 minutes until tomatoes are softened.

Place pastry shells on a baking sheet and prick several times with a fork.  Place them in the oven while the tomatoes are baking until they are cooked and nicely browned, about 8 - 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and fill with whichever cheese you prefer.

Carefully spoon equal amounts of the roasted tomatoes over the cheese.  The heat from the just cooked pastry shells and tomatoes will make the cheese ooey-gooey delicious.  Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.