Maggie and I faced a tough decision.

Should we eat our tomato sandwich in the sweet Dixie style–a thick-sliced, lightly salted Brandywine nestled in a slather of Duke’s Mayo* on white bread?

Or should we dream of Italy, and prepare our bread in the manner of Chianti country–bruschetta rubbed with garlic, adorned with tomatoes like jewels, glistening with fruity olive oil, topped with a frill of genovese basil?

Hmmmmmmm. Or-

Or what if we married the best of both?
What if we took that mayo, and whisked in a mince of garlic, basil, and a thimble of that Riserva olive oil……

that could be very very good, now couldn’t it?

Cheater Basil Aioli
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
1T. your fave fruity Olive Oil
1 heaping Tablespoon Fresh Basil leaves, super-finely sliced “chiffonade”
a few grindings of black pepper
1/4 cup Duke’s or Hellman’s Mayo

In a small bowl, infuse olive oil with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and basil. Stir well, to macerate basil and garlic with the salt. Whisk in the mayo. That’s it.

* I have always been a proponent of Hellman’s Mayonnaise—and I won’t forsake it, but on good recommendation I sampled Duke’s, and am a convert. It has as the right flavor and texture, but contains No Sugar.

1. Maggie Says:
   July 28th, 2009 at 6:14 am

   Nance, this was so good – simple, flavorful enough, but still lets the tomato shine! It’s all about the tomatoes right now!

2. Tamara Says:
   July 28th, 2009 at 7:28 am

   This sounds wonderful… I think I will try this weekend.

3. K-Run Says:
   July 28th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

   YUMMMMMM Ya’ll I can’t wait to try this with each mayonaise and see which is the winner. There is nothing better than a wonderful home grown tomato sandwich.

4. Suzanne Says:
   July 28th, 2009 at 1:54 pm

   I can’t wait to try this! I just purchased some delicious heirloom tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market and this is the perfect recipe! Thanks, Nancy!
   Hey, have you ever heard of a pineapple tomato? A friend just gave me one this morning.

5. goodfoodmatters Says:
   July 28th, 2009 at 2:42 pm

   Suzanne-yes, I did buy a pineapple tomato last year at our farmer’s market—yellow with reddish mottling—it was good, sweet, with an acidy citrus note to it. It’s fun to try all the different heirlooms out there.
   I’m on the lookout now for a Green Zebra.

6. Melissa Says:
   July 29th, 2009 at 4:30 pm

   Nancy – I’ve had green zebras twice now. First time was from some of the Amish at the Franklin market but last Saturday Barnes (? – midway down on the left as you walk away from the market house) at NFM had baskets of many different heirlooms and one was the green zebra. I had to try one of each. Not so sure about a couple I’ve tried this year that were sort of hollow but weren’t the stuffers.

7. marva Says:
   July 29th, 2009 at 5:48 pm

   Oh Nancy, I’m glad you gave us a choice…I’m still a Hellman’s girl & love Heirloom tomatoes so I can’t lose!
   That sounds like a perfect weekend lunch!

8. goodfoodmatters Says:
   July 29th, 2009 at 7:38 pm

   Melissa-I found the green zebras at the market—yes, Barnes does have them!
   I also picked up a Cherokee Strawberry, a Grandma’s Pick, a Mortgage Lifter and one of those Yellow Stuffers.

   Marva–I’m still a Hellman’s girl,too, but Duke’s is a respectable mayo. I was surprised.

9. lilutz Says:
   July 30th, 2009 at 12:08 pm

   Num num num. I’m eatin this tonight! And, BTW, it’s only Duke’s for me!!

10. joycooks Says:
    August 3rd, 2009 at 11:37 am

    Nancy- yum! gorgeous photos too. I do this all summer as soon as the tomatoes roll in – I have Mortgage Lifters too this year and they are HUGE and delish. I am still waiting on some of the other heirlooms to ripen. In Italy, this is standard, the most classic bruschetta there is. The best part is how they grill the bread on an open flame to give it that charred and smoky flavor that goes so well with tomatoes and olive oil. I like your version with the aioli too! Going to try it. thanks!
    (I’ve got tomatoes all over the blog on my end too :-)