David Fankhauser

Jon Sullivan

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our oldest daughter and her husband slipped away for a few quiet days at the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon this past week. Our treat for entertaining the children while they were gone was a selection of cheeses that included a wonderful blue cheese from the Rouge Creamery in southern Oregon. That happened to coincide with the beginning of our heirloom tomato harvest and a freezer filled with wonderful artisan bread and brioche. I'd been hoarding a recipe I found in the Seattle Times from "Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express" for a grilled sandwich that contained thick sliced tomatoes and a blue cheese spread. This was an ideal time to try it. I can happily report I'm glad I did because this is a wonderful nosh. Here is the base recipe for one sandwich. I'm sure you'll want to adapt this to your own tastes, but the original recipe is a delight.

Grilled Tomato Sandwich with Blue Cheese Spread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

1/4 cup blue cheese

1 tablespoon cream cheese

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

1/2 to 1 teaspoon milk

2 slices good-quality, crusty bread

2 to 3 slices ripe, red tomato

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 to 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1) Mash blue cheese, cream cheese and chives with just enough milk to make it spreadable. Smear a thin layer on each slice of bread. Top with tomato slices, salt and pepper and put bread together to make a sandwich.

2) Heat skillet and add butter. Swirl around pan until melted and pan is coated. Place sandwich in skillet and cook a couple of minutes, until toasted on one side. Press down sandwich gently with a spatula and turn. Cook until golden and gooey.

3) Cut on diagonal and serve hot. (If you're making more than one, assemble them on a baking sheet, brush with melted butter and broil on both sides.). Yield: 1 sandwich.

I'm linking this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.