Tomato biscuits with whipped goat cheese

A lot of favorite foods revolve around tomatoes. Salsa, gazpacho, tomato basil soup, bloody marys, ketchup (I'm serious). Big, meaty tomatoes, sliced thickly and sprinkled with salt and pepper and broiled. Cherry tomatoes, eaten fresh off the plant. Tomato sauce made with just a little salt, pepper, garlic, onion and olive oil.

I know that it's a vegetable that divides people. I mean, we can't even make up our collective minds about whether it's a fruit or a vegetable. But I simply cannot identify with anyone who orders a sandwich and says, "No tomatoes, please."

Which is why this sandwich, made entirely of tomatoes, caught my eye. The blogger behind smitten kitchen even put it on the cover of her cookbook (which I highly recommend).

I modified it quite a bit (as always) and I could have eaten the entire batch.

You start with a crumbly biscuit made with scallions and Parmesan.

Then, you make an easy tomato salad (make sure you have some perfectly ripe, farmers market or homegrown tomatoes).

Finally, you top it off with some whipped goat cheese, bacon and walnuts.

TOMATO BISCUITS WITH WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE

Biscuits
2 c. + 2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. butter, chilled
2 scallions, sliced
1 c 2% milk
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded

Tomato salad
1.5 c. tomatoes, roughly sliced or chopped
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Sugar

Toppings 
2 Tbsp. whipping cream
3 oz. goat cheese
4 slices bacon
1/2 c. walnuts
1 Tbsp. honey
1 scallion, chopped

1. Start by making the biscuits. Preheat the oven to 425*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all of the dry ingredients well and then mix in the butter with your fingertips until all incorporated (use a pastry blender if you're fancy). Stir in the scallion and cheese and then add the milk. Form the dough into six biscuits. Place them on the baking sheet on a center rack and cook for about 15 minutes. Leave the top rack of the oven empty.
2. Cut the bacon up into small pieces and fry it over medium heat until crunchy.
3. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and put them on the top rack in the oven. Bake for 3-5 minutes, watching closely and stirring frequently, until toasted. Remove from oven, place in a bowl and drizzle with honey. Mix well.
4. Make the tomato salad by mixing the ingredients to taste.
5. Whip the whipping cream and goat cheese together until fluffy and light.
6. To assemble, slice a biscuit in half. Spread the goat cheese mixture on bottom half. Top with a generous helping of the tomato salad and a tablespoon each of crumbled bacon and honey walnuts. Sprinkle with scallions and top with second half of biscuit.