Heirloom Tomato Panini

Here's a great late summer sandwich, which uses up a bit of the truckloads of tomatoes that seem to be appearing everywhere. All I have to say is, take advantage of the beautiful tomatoes now when you can, because come December, they will be sadly missed! To make this panini, its all about the proper layering order, you don't want vinegar or tomato juice to soak through the bread, so its important to layer each slice of bread with cheese (think of it like a raincoat for the bread!) And no worries if you don't own a panini press...I don't own one either! I use my trusty George Foreman grill, which I bought straight out of college. In fact, paninis are the only purpose my Foreman grill serves now (now that I am all grown up, I have a proper BBQ to grill my meat on). Another panini press option is to throw your sandwich in a skillet and place a foil covered brick on top of the sandwich to weight it down. Or if you own a cast iron skillet, that is also a great weight.

Heirloom Tomato Panini

2 slices bread (any kind will work here, I used Milton's Multigrain sandwich bread...but 2 slices of baguette or ciabatta will also work nicely)
1 heirloom tomato (cut into a few thick slices...you probably won't use the whole tomato)
Mozzarella cheese (a few thin slices is all you need)
3-4 good size basil leaves
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Layer 1 slice of bread with 1/2 the cheese. Next add the tomato slices to cover the bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar (not too much!). Add the basil leaves. Layer on the rest of the cheese and top with the second slice of bread. Cook in a panini press or in a skillet with a weight on top until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasty.
Enjoy =)
*This is a super knife for big juicy tomatoes! It is a Kyocera ceramic knife, which Scott got for his birthday from his dad. It is super sharp, and it can cut paper thin lemon slices. Apparently, ceramic knives are supposed to retain their sharp edge longer than traditional knives. So far, I am in love with this new knife!