Summer is gone again. This was made particularly poignant to me by the contents of my fruit display: the last bowl of slightly wrinkled cherry tomatoes, next to three peaches that were trying very hard to not look dry. 

Use produce that is on-hand

Conveniently, I had a few handfuls of very tiny walla-walla onions, about the size of pearl onions. For this dish, full-sized onions can be chopped and substituted for the pearl-style onions. Purple onions would be beautiful here, too, though I would cut them smaller and not cook them as long. Whatever is on hand onion-wise should work great. 

Don’t be afraid to use produce that is looking a little on the dry side. Just check your produce and other foods for any mold or discoloration/bruising (if you find mold on the fruit, obviously, throw it out). Roasting just-past-its-prime fruit can be a great way to loan it new life.

Notes on cheese and service

The goat cheese log I tend to use gets very soft and melty when baked, but holds its shape pretty well. Be aware that transferring to a serving platter may prove difficult, though sometimes it can work. Gently loosening the fruit and cheese from anything sticking to the bottom of the pan and then gently sliding the whole dish to a serving platter at once worked alright for me — but I definitely prefer just baking it in a pretty dish to begin with. To make it presentable, I make sure no stray food particles or juices are on the sides of the dish before I bake it — that way, it’s easier to serve and it stays a truly low-effort, high-reward dish. 

Baked Goat Cheese with Tomatoes, Peaches, and Thyme-Sauteed Onions

3 large peaches (freestone is best)
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, any variety (I like a mix)
1 cup pearl onions (or baby sweet onions, such as Walla Wallas)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dried thyme 
Smoked salt
1 10.5-oz log goat cheese
Tellicherry peppercorns, cracked (to taste)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Honey, if you like

Heat oven to 375*F. Place oven rack in the middle position. Lightly grease an 8×8 glass baking dish (it’s easiest if this is a dish that is pretty enough it can double as a serving dish). 

1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.
2. Cut onions in half, remove the outer paper, and cut off the blossom and root ends. 
3. Place onions carefully in sauté pan, cut-side down, to keep their shape. Add dried thyme. Toss gently to coat and cook til onions are translucent and a little crispy on the edges.
4. Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Chop the peaches into bite-sized pieces, roughly the same size as the halved cherry tomatoes. 
5. Combine the tomatoes, cooked onions, and peaches together; season with smoked salt (remember, goat cheese is salty, so don’t overdo it). Dump the mixture into the 8×8 pan. 
6. Unwrap the goat cheese and nestle it into the fruit-and-onion mixture. Crack black pepper over the top of the goat cheese. 
7. Bake 12–20 minutes, or until cheese is melted through and fruits are warm and as soft as you want them. Garnish with fresh thyme and honey, if you like. Serve with crackers.