ArcaMax

No fruit or vegetable I know compares with the wonders of a ripe summer tomato: richly sweet and tangy, juicy and meaty. And with the last few warm days of the year still ahead, there are still delicious sun-ripened tomatoes to be found in farmers' markets and food stores everywhere.

When my favorite organic farmers deliver to my restaurants the season's finest tomatoes, my chefs and I go wild, especially when we're presented with a wide array of heirloom varieties in a range of colors, patterns, shapes, sizes and flavors. Just recently at Spago in Beverly Hills, for example, guests could enjoy such creations as an heirloom tomato salad made up of at least half a dozen different perfectly ripe varieties, served with a dash of black olive tapenade and dollops of fresh herbed goat's milk ricotta cheese and a shallow soup bowl containing an intense small scoop of fresh tomato sorbet, garnished with basil oil and swimming in tomato "water," a concentrated yet but sparklingly clear essence made by letting pureed ripe tomatoes drip for hours through a fine filter.

Such is the creative fun you can have when a team of chefs goes to work on top produce. But even if it's just you alone in your kitchen, it's still easy to get the most from a great tomato. There's ample proof in the recipe I share with you today, a California-style variation on tomatoes Provençal, which I first learned to make as a young chef in the south of France.

The starting point, of course, is great tomatoes. Go to your market and look for the best you can find. They should be fully ripe, yet still slightly firm, not mushy. If great beefsteak tomatoes are available, use them; in that case, count each one as the equivalent of two medium tomatoes called for in the recipe.

Seasoning the tomatoes lightly and then just briefly heating them in the oven amazingly intensifies their flavor and texture. In fact, I like to use this same method at other times of year when only Roma (Italian plum) tomatoes are in the markets, because I prefer that variety warm rather than raw.

All that's left to do before serving the tomatoes as an hors d'oeuvre, appetizer or side dish, is garnish them. I sometimes like to warm a little goat cheese on top of them, as I do in the recipe, although that's completely optional. What isn't, is the loose version of pesto sauce that I drizzle over the tomatoes when they come out of the oven. Made with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil and some pine nuts, it blends together all the very best complements to the flavor of a ripe summer tomato.

ROASTED TOMATOES WITH GARLIC AND PESTO

Serves 4 to 12

PESTO

1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 tablespoon pine nuts, lightly toasted over low heat in a small dry saucepan until golden, 2 to 3 minutes

ROASTED TOMATOES

6 ripe-but-firm medium-sized tomatoes

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sugar

4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut lengthwise into thick slices

6 ounces fresh goat cheese (optional)

3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Meanwhile, make the Pesto. Put all the ingredients in a blender or a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade. Blend or process until smoothly pureed, stopping once or twice to scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Remove from the blender or processor to a small bowl and set aside.

Cut the tomatoes in half vertically, through their stem ends and bottoms. Place them on a baking sheet cut sides up. Drizzle each tomato half lightly with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of sugar. Arrange the garlic slices on top of the tomatoes.

Put the baking sheet in the oven and roast the tomatoes just until they are warmed but haven't yet begun to lose their shape, about 8 minutes.

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and take off and discard the garlic slices. Coarsely crumble the goat cheese, if using, over the tomatoes, then return them to the oven and bake until the cheese has begun to brown slightly, about 2 minutes more.

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and, with a spatula, transfer them to a serving platter or individual plates. Drizzle with pesto and a little balsamic vinegar. Serve hot or at room temperature, passing extra pesto on the side.