Pretty Pesto Poppers

If you’re still looking for the perfect summer appetizer for your dinner party, deck party or any other summer gathering, then these avocado-pesto stuffed cherry tomatoes are for you!

These tiny little tomato bowls stuffed with a creamy basil-avocado filling taste fresh and delicious. They are time consuming to prepare, but the finished result is so impressive!

I discovered this recipe in the December 2009 issue of Better Homes and Garden magazine. I assume that the recipe was promoted as a holiday appetizer because of the bright red and green colors.

Tomatoes certainly aren’t in season in December (at least not here in Northeastern Ohio).  I opted to file the recipe away for warmer weather, not to mention fresher, less expensive produce. August is the perfect time to make a cool, creamy appetizer with seasonal, sun-ripened cherry tomatoes.

I first prepared this recipe last July for the Spyglass Hill neighborhood wine walk. The wine walk is similar in concept to a progressive dinner. Five households volunteered to be a stop on the walk. They then teamed up with friends in the neighborhood who helped to provide the food and drink at each of the five houses.

All of the participants traveled from house to house, spending about 45 minutes at each stop while tasting wine and sampling appetizers. It was a great night to try new flavors, visit with friends and get to know some of our neighbors a little bit better.

Even if you’re not a wine enthusiast, I’d recommend initiating this type of activity for your neighborhood.  I treasured the time spent at these organized neighborhood activities like the wine walk, the Fourth of July parade, the annual summer cookout and pool party, Halloween trick-or-treating and watching the Polar Express in the clubhouse with all of our children before Christmas.

Our association social chairs are awesome! When our family was new to the neighborhood, these scheduled events were wonderful opportunities to get to know our neighbors and build a sense of community. The take home message here is: get involved in your neighborhood activities or volunteer for a committee with your homeowner’s association. It’s fun!

Now back to the food. These cherry tomatoes plate up beautifully, especially with a garnish of freshly snipped basil. However, if you're not serving these in the same place that you are preparing them I recommend transporting the stuffed tomatoes (tightly packed) in a covered container and then plating and garnishing when you reach your destination. This will save you the stress of watching these little beauties slide around on the serving plate as you make your way to the party.

Avocado Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes recipe from Better Homes and Gardens original recipe found HERE

Prep: 40 minutes
Stand: 30 minutes

Ingredients
30 cherry tomatoes (about 1-1/4 pints)
1/2 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut up
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. homemade or purchased basil pesto
1 tsp. lemon juice
Snipped fresh basil (optional)
Directions
1. Cut a thin slice from the top of each tomato. (If desired, cut a thin slice from bottoms of tomatoes so they stand upright.) With a small spoon or small lemon baller carefully hollow out the tomatoes. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Invert tomatoes on the towels. Let stand 30 minutes to drain.

2. Meanwhile, for filling, in a food processor bowl combine avocado, cream cheese, pesto, and lemon juice. Cover; process until smooth. Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or open star tip.

3. Place tomatoes, open sides up, on a serving platter. Pipe filling into the tomato cups. Serve immediately or cover loosely and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving. Sprinkle with snipped basil before serving. Makes 30 appetizers.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 18, Total Fat (g) 1, Saturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 2, Sodium (mg) 16, Carbohydrate (g) 1, Total Sugar (g) 1, Vitamin C (DV%) 4, Calcium (DV%) 1, Iron (DV%) 1, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Notes: I found that a vegetable peeler, like the one shown in the pictures section of this article, was ideal for scraping out the seeds. A small spoon or melon baller would have proved too large to stick into the top of the tomato, thus mutilating the edible, pretty red bowl. Also, I'd recommend making 1 and 1/2-2 times more filling so that you have plenty to top off the tomatoes and room for mistakes. Finally, you can hollow out the tomatoes ahead of time and refrigerate them.  

DO NOT fill the tomatoes a day ahead or even the morning of your event. Fill the tomatoes within 2-3 hours of serving.  Even with the lemon juice in the filling, the avocado tends to turn an un-appetizing brown after a few hours.  If this happens, the appetizers are still edible, just not pretty.