baci's baking - Avocado Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes

Ilario and I hosted our Annual New Year's Eve Party this year and, as always, my sister and I made way too much food! We absolutely love it though and it's a great way to try out new recipes on our friends :o) In the next few weeks I'll give you a few of our favorite recipes that were (or have always been) a huge hit!

First off, Avocado Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes, a recipe originally from Better Homes and Gardens, were the most requested appetizer for the 2011 party. We made them, well Jami made them, last year for the first time and I was pretty sure she was going to lose her mind. I honestly didn't think I could con her into making them again, so I didn't even bother putting them on the menu for this year. . . until she asked to make them again (because they really are delicious, no matter how much of a pain they are) and then several friends asked if we were making them again. So we made some notes and observations this time around to make this recipe a little more user friendly. . . not too much, but a little :o) Enjoy!

Avocado Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes

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30 campari tomatoes or 45 grape or cherry tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pints)

1/2 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut up
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. homemade or purchased basil pesto
1 t. lemon juice

1) With a sharp, serrated knife, cut a thin slice from the top of each tomato. Then cut a thin slice from bottoms of tomatoes so they stand upright.

2) (Here comes the hard part and why we recommend using the slightly larger campari tomatoes.) With a small spoon - we alternated between a 1/4 teaspoon and an espresso spoon - carefully hollow out the tomatoes (you can save the remains to use in a tomato sauce later).

3) Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Invert tomatoes on the towels. Let stand 30 minutes to drain.
4) Meanwhile, for filling, in a food processor bowl (or a bowl you can use a handheld mixer with) combine avocado, cream cheese, pesto, and lemon juice. Cover; process until smooth.

5) Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip.
6) Place tomatoes, open sides up, on a serving platter. Pipe filling into the tomato cups.

7) Serve immediately or cover loosely and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.

photo by jamilee