Goat-Cheese Gratin with Tarragon Toast

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• room temperature
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 cloves garlic
• finely chopped
• 1 shallot
• chopped
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 baguette
• sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 (6-ounce) log fresh goat cheese
• crumbled
• 2 tomatoes
• cored
• seeded
• and chopped
• or 1 cup of your favorite tomato
• marinara
• or pasta sauce
• 15 kalamata or other brine-cured black olives
• pitted

Instructions

1. Position an oven rack 4 inches below the broiler element and preheat the broiler.
2. To make the compound butter, stir the butter, lemon juice, tarragon, garlic, and shallot together in a bowl.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Mix until thoroughly combined.
5. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet.
6. Spread the butter mixture on one side of each slice to coat.
7. (Reserve the remaining butter in a sealable container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
8. Use it to saute vegetables or make buttery herbed rice or pasta.)
9. Broil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Turn the toasts and broil the other side.
11. Remove the toasts from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
12. Scatter the goat cheese on the bottoms of individual shallow gratin dishes or one ovenproof gratin dish or casserole.
13. Top with the tomatoes and olives, and season with salt and pepper.
14. Broil until bubbling and hot, 3 to 5 minutes.
15. Serve with the reserved herb toasts.