Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Basil and Garlic

When summer rolls around, eating cherry tomatoes practically becomes like eating a fruit. While cherry tomatoes are sweet all year their sweetness is magnified as the hot weather comes in and they are delicious. The only thing that makes them more delicious is roasting them. Roasting brings out every ounce of their sweetness and adding a few fresh ingredients like fragrant basil, garlic, and good balsamic vinegar makes them magnificent. I serve these as a side dish often with fish but they go equally well with chicken. Another great thing to do with them after roasting is to toss them with all their juice with some spaghetti, top with some Parmesan cheese and you got yourself a fantastic pasta dish that highlights summer! Enjoy!

4 pints cherry tomatoes (leave the vine on for pretty presentation)

6 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

2 Tbl olive oil

3 Tbl balsamic vinegar

4 Tbl fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

Toss the tomatoes with the garlic, oil, vinegar, basil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until they have shriveled slightly.