Green Tomato Appetizer

Green Tomatoes never had it so good!

So I may have bragged a little about my puny garden this summer, herbs, peppers and cucumbers galore.  Tomatoes?  Well, not so much.  Thankfully my friend Rosalie planted tomatoes, and although she didn't get big red, juicy ones in the heat of the summer, she had a bumper crop of green tomatoes this fall. And being in the South and all, ya'll know we kind of covet green tomatoes.  The first thing that comes to mind is Fried Green Tomatoes, and they aren't bad.  But, ever since I pulled out the fryer for the most amazing fries, I have been toying with what to fry next. This dilemma too is a bit of a Southern stereotype, "Ya'll, what am I gonna fry for dinner?"  Which really is a bit of a joke, it isn't really like that here!  Since I am not a fan of the whole cornmeal breading, I decided to borrow a better idea for these green gems.  The best part, I made them ahead and froze them until I was ready to serve!

Rosalie's Green Tomato Appetizers

Green Tomatoes
Goat Cheese
Cream Cheese
Fresh Herbs (or dried)
Eggs (just a couple)
Panko
Balsamic Glaze

So basically, I sliced the green tomatoes (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick)  and let them dry out a bit on paper towels.
 
Mix goat cheese and cream cheese with the herbs.  Any combination, the cream cheese is really more of a binder for the goat cheese which tends to crumble a bit.  I don't measure this kind of stuff, and honest, you can't really go wrong.  I would have chopped up garlic, oregano, basil and chives, but I used Penzey's Tuscan Sunset instead.  I love this stuff.

Then I piled a little mound on top of each tomato and put the pan in the freezer.

Take the frozen tomato and cheese, and dip them in beaten egg and then coat well in Panko.  Place them back on cookie sheet (not on paper towels) and freeze again.  When they are froze, peel them off the sheet and place in a baggie or freezer container until you are ready to use them.

Preheat oven to 350, and bake the tomatoes on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes.  They should be browned and the cheesy mound should be very soft.  Serve with a drizzle of Balsamic glaze and a glass of wine.  So, what are ya'll waiting for?