Recipe & Pic from Cookie & Kate
Why settle for a Caprese Salad when you can turn it into a sandwich? Pair with a side salad and you have the perfect lunch or dinner for a hot day.
1 baguette (16 ounces)
1 tablespoon thick balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze*
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 mozzarella ball (8 ounces)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
Lettuce
Flaky sea salt or kosher salt
1 small or ½ medium clove garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup (1 ounce) lightly packed fresh basil
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the bread in half lengthwise, then stack it back together and slice it down the middle to form two large sandwiches, or again to make 4 small. Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet with the cut sides facing up. Bake for 5 minutes, or until warmed through and turning lightly golden around the edges.
In the meantime, prepare the creamy basil sauce*: In a food processor, blitz the roughly chopped garlic to chop it more finely. Scrape down the sides, then add the mayo, basil, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, then set aside.
To assemble the sandwiches, lightly drizzle balsamic and olive oil over half of the cut sides of bread. Layer some arugula on top, then weigh it down with rounds of mozzarella. Top with the sliced tomato, then sprinkle the tomato lightly with flaky salt.
Spread the basil sauce generously over the cut side of the remaining slices of bread. Place them face down over the tomatoes. Enjoy.