Melissa and I have been going through our recipes to see what areas we are lacking in, and sandwiches are definitely one of them.  She has been growing tomatoes and basil in her yard, which just beg to become caprese.  But instead of just making a salad, we tried to figure out how to turn it into a sandwich.  Melted cheese is clearly superior to un-melted cheese, so of course we made a panini!

We spread slices of Italian bread with basil mayonnaise, then layered in fresh mozzarella and balsamic marinated tomato slices (our attempt to get balsamic flavor without adding too much liquid) with fresh basil (you can’t have enough basil).  Then we placed them on a panini grill and cooked until the cheese was melted and the outside was golden.

The sandwiches were so gooey and yummy – I loved it!  But the bottoms did get a little soggy, so next time I will toast the bread on one side before spreading the mayo on the toasted side, then putting the sandwich together and grilling as usual.  I think that this will help keep it from getting soggy.  I also might put basil mayo on the outside of the sandwich to help brown it up and because it is delicious. (more…)