OK, really, Nigella Lawson calls these ‘Moonblush Tomatoes’, because all the magic happens at night. I tossed these in the hot (ish) oven after making the Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies yesterday morning and left them for the afternoon and evening while we were feasting with friends in New Berlin. We came home around midnight to this lovely pan of tomato-ey goodness, and I should add they smell even better than they look. Use them as a side on their own, or in a salad, or maybe mushed up a bit onto bruschetta – whatever you do, it’s a nice way of getting some extra life out of tomatoes, and I’m assuming that now that they’ve been roasted, I can store them in the fridge, which I never do with fresh tomatoes (I don’t even add them to salads until just before serving, that way I get crispy greens and unchilled tomatoes). ANYWAY, the recipe is simplicity itself, here goes:
INGREDIENTS
•1 lb on-the-vine, cherry or grape tomatoes (just chop up larger tomatoes)
•2 tbsp olive oil
•2 tsp kosher salt – I used coarse sea salt
•1 tsp dried thyme (I used my trusty 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s)
•1/4 tsp sugar
Preheat oven to 450º
Cut the tomatoes in half and put them cut side up in a baking dish. Sprinkle over the oil and seasonings (I normally give ’em a bit of a toss, too).
Put the dish in the oven and turn it off. 
Leave the tomatoes in overnight, or for a day without opening. Done. How simple was that?
While the tomato magic was happening, we headed up to our friends Bob and Don in New Berlin for a July 4 Barbecue. Here’s the guys with dinner ready to eat. Golnaz and Mehran made for a nice round six for dinner; but I still think B&D could’ve bought beef steaks instead of purchasing the mastodon rib eyes you see here – we ended up splitting one between the two of us and it was oh, soooo good. In my younger days I 
could (and WOULD) have eaten a whole steak myself, but I wanted to have room for the grilled veggies and potatoes (you can see rosemary from our herb patch on the potatoes), and then of course, there was desert. Golnaz’ famous fruit tart, this time done up for the holiday. She told me the recipe (it involves cream, flour, and sometimes evaporated milk and jello) – but I’m waiting for written instructions – HINT, Golnaz !-)
All that lovely food, good friends (I won’t go into some of the conversation – something about ‘Princeton’ and ‘ties’) and some of Bobby Flay’s White Peach Sangria to wash it all down. A nice way to spend the Fourth.
Happy day all