Mozzarella smores - tomatoes

Method

• Place the tomatoes in an attractive serving bowl.
• Arrange the mozzarella, basil leaves, and grilled bread or crackers in bowls or on a platter.
• Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.
• In the best of all worlds, you'd use a charcoal grill, raking the embers into a pile at the bottom of the grill and leaving off the grill grate.
• If using a gas grill, preheat it superhot.
• Skewer a cube of mozzarella.
• Roast it over the fire, turning the skewer to evenly melt the cheese.
• If using a gas grill, you'll need to bring it as close as possible to the fire without touching the grate.
• When the mozzarella begins to melt and brown, after 1 to 2 minutes over charcoal, a little longer over gas, use a knife or fork to scrape the cheese off the skewer onto a piece of grilled bread.
• Never attempt to eat the melted cheese directly off the hot skewer you'll burn your lips.
• Top the cheese with a basil leaf and a piece of sun-dried tomato and place a second piece of grilled bread on top.
• Eat at once.
• NOTE: Sun-dried tomatoes come in two forms: oil-packed and dried.
• Oil-packed tomatoes just need to be drained before you use them.
• The dried kind need to be soaked in water and marinated in olive oil.
• To reconstitute the tomatoes, place them in a heatproof bowl and add boiling water to cover.
• Let soak for 1 hour.
• Drain the tomatoes well and blot dry.
• Toss with the olive oil.