By Kathleen Purvis

MCT News Service

QUESTION: I would like to oven-roast cherry tomatoes, but I can’t find any instructions. Do you have any ideas?

ANSWER: Oven-roasting tomatoes is a great thing to do in summer when the tomato vine runneth over. I’ve never done it with cherry tomatoes, but I don’t see why you couldn’t.

Try this method: Halve each tomato (that might not be necessary with really small tomatoes) and toss in a bowl with olive oil, some minced garlic, salt (I use crispy sea salt for texture), a little freshly ground pepper and a tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Place the tomatoes cut-side down on a jelly roll pan and roast at about 300 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re soft and the skins are a little wrinkled. Pour them into a container, including the oil left in the pan, and refrigerate.

The cooking time is approximate; I’ve usually done this with plum tomatoes, not cherry tomatoes. Smaller tomatoes would take less time.

QUESTION: When a recipe calls for unsalted butter and salt, can you substitute salted butter and skip the salt? What does the salt in the butter do that might mess up the recipe? I don’t use enough unsalted butter to keep it on hand.ANSWER: Salt is added to butter as a preservative. As you’ve noticed, salted butter keeps longer.So while you can substitute salted for unsalted with no trouble in most recipes, the unsalted butter will taste fresher.