Broiled Heirloom Tomatoes with Panko, Parmesan, and Parsley

The absolute best thing I've eaten all summer:  perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes sprinkled with buttered panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and olive oil and broiled for 8 minutes.

From plant to plate in less than 15 minutes.

Start with very ripe tomatoes (although green, this one is of the heirloom variety and is indeed ripe).

They're so pretty I almost hate to slice them...

But it's the means to the end, right?

Arrange the slices on an oven-friendly platter.  (I tossed in some sliced yellow grape tomatoes for fun.)

Sprinkle the tomatoes with panko breadcrumbs that have been tossed with melted butter.

Then sprinkle on Parmesan and fresh parsley, drizzle with olive oil, and set the platter under a pre-heated 500 degree F broiler for about 6-10 minutes (oven heating may vary). 

 

Hello, summer.  I love you & your ripe, heavenly flavors. 

No words.

Please help yourself to a generous serving; 

This is the apex of summer eating.

Clean plate, happy heart.

The printable recipe can be found here.

Broiled Heirloom Tomatoes with Panko, Parmesan, and Parsley
Serves 4

2 large, very ripe tomatoes (any variety), carefully cut into 1/4" slices
3-4 grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup unseasoned panko breadcrumbs
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil

Grease an oven-safe platter with a small amount of olive oil.  Arrange the sliced tomatoes on the platter.

Preheat broiler to 500 degrees F.  Set an oven rack about 8 inches from the heating element.

Mix together the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and melted butter.  Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top of the tomatoes.  Sprinkle Parmesan on top of the breadcrumbs, followed by the parsley.  Drizzle the olive oil over the Parmesan/parsley layer.

Carefully set platter in oven, ensuring the plate is at least 8 inches from heating element.  Broil for 6-10 minutes (all ovens heat differently, so start checking the dish at 6 minutes). 

Serve immediately.