Open Faced Summer Tomato Sandwich

Now is the time to indulge in summer tomatoes! In my opinion, they are always the best in late summer/early fall. If you don't have a garden to feed your tomato hunger, then head over to your local farmer's market to pick up some beauties.
I picked a beautiful heirloom tomato from our old garden, and searched for the perfect recipe to showcase it's wonderful-ness. And thanks to Food & Wine July 2009, I found my answer. With a little tweaking of the printed recipe, I created this fabulous and quick summer sandwich for dinner. The key to making this dish is FRESH and QUALITY ingredients.

Open-Faced Summer Tomato Sandwich

Four 1-inch slices of crusty white bread (rustic sourdough, ciabatta, etc.)

olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

1 heirloom tomato, sliced into 4 slices

1/2 lb Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced

fresh ground pepper

salt

sweet paprika

4 basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the bread slices on both sides with a bit of olive oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Toast about 10 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp on the outside, but still soft inside. Rub the toast on one side with the garlic.
Top each toast with some prosciutto and a tomato slice. Season lightly with salt. Top with some cheese.
Preheat the broiler. Broil the sandwiches, shifting the pan occasionally, until the cheese is bubbling (about 1-3 minutes, depending on your broiler). Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and paprika. Top with a single fresh basil leaf. Serve hot. Enjoy =)

Yummy, yummy, yummy...how could you NOT like this?