Slice of Summer Tomato Sandwich with Smoked Fish and Basil-Mascarpone

By AppleAnnie • July 29, 2010 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: Can't get enough basil! This recipe invites mascarpone and smoked fish to join the archetypal basil- tomato pairing. First make the mascarpone schmear and refrigerate for at least 8 hours for the flavors to develop The bread in the photo is an asiago cheese pugliese, but I hope to try this again with a dark rye or multi-grain loaf. - AppleAnnie

Serves 4 sandwiches

Basil-Mascarpone "Schmear"

4 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon your best balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Open Face Sandwich

4 slices of artisan bread
1-2 ripe heirloom tomatoes
4 small pieces of smoked fish (I used Duck Trap smoked mackerel)
salt and pepper

Cut the basil into small shreds, and the parsley into small snips. Process the herbs, mascarpone, balsamic, and lemon juice in a mini-prep or food processor until the leaves are pulverized and all ingredients are well blended. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight for the flavors to develop. It doesn't taste like much before the long refrigeration, but the chilling works wonders.
To assemble the sandwich, slather the bread with the basil-mascarpone "schmear." Next, layer on a few small pieces of smoked fish, and top with a generous slice of heirloom tomato. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the tomato and the slice of summer sandwich is complete.