pesto cheese filled tomatoes

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
• 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese (or Neufchatel), cut into chunks
• 2 pints (4 cups) cherry tomatoes, washed and dried

Toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until light golden and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Combine the basil, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts and add the rest to the basil. Process until the pine nuts are ground. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Add the soft cheese and pulse until smooth and creamy. 

Shortly before serving, make an X on the bottom side (opposite the stalk) of each cherry tomato with a serrated or sharp paring knife. Scoop out the seeds with a grapefruit spoon or your fingertips, taking care to keep the tomatoes intact. 

Scrape the pesto cheese filling into a piping bag  or small plastic food bag with a 1cm hole snipped in one corner. Pipe a rosette of filling into each cherry tomato cavity. Garnish the cherry tomatoes with the remaining pine nuts.