Sometimes the simplest things are the most wonderful. Obviously, this recipe depends completely on the quality of your ingredients - the ripest summer tomato, the best, chewy bread. My mother used to occasionally make this for me during my high school days as a welcome home from school snack so, as well as being delicious, there is nostalgia attached to this "sandwich".
This makes 2 tomato melts; excellent for 2 people for lunch with an interesting soup or salad (or for one greedy person for a weekend lunch in one's PJs, binge watching a British period drama).
1 ripe tomato
1/3 baguette
Hard cheese of your choice (I used Cheddar)
1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
White pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350.
Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Slice the tomato into thin slices.
Cover each half of the bread with half of the tomato slices. Sprinkle with the herbes de Provence and salt and pepper generously.
Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 3-5 minutes until the bread is crusty and toasted.
Turn on the broiler and broil for a few minutes until the cheese is lightly browned on top.