A big bite of summer in a tiny sandwich.

Melty goodness goes over the top thanks to ratatouille and Britney Spears

I did it friends, I made a delicacy sandwich.

Let me explain: “Delicacy sandwich” is a borrowed term. I didn’t coin it. Britney Spears did.

The pop star, who’s going through an unfortunate conservatorship battle, posted a now infamous cooking video a couple months ago on Instagram where she detailed how to make her “first delicacy sandwich,” inspired by a New York deli sandwich that she loves.

There was a lot to unpack with that video and the sandwich itself. First of all it was small (think a quarter of a normalsize sandwich). The filling was some sort of semiorganization of pears, cheese, pecans, lettuce and avocado. I’m not here to go through her culinary luggage, but I did find her video inspiring.

What I found most inspirational is summed up in this statement in the video: “You don’t need a huge sandwich for the summertime. Something kind of small and French will do it for me.”

I can relate. In summer, I tend to eat smaller portions. I’m also a lowkey Francophile when it comes to food: steak frites is a birthday staple; I always say yes to buttery pastry; and I usually make some version of the Provencal vegetable dish ratatouille during summer.

So this recipe is inspired by Spears’ video, small portions and ratatouille.

The filling — sliced tomatoes, summer squash, along with garlic and chives — all scream “health!” to me, so I add balance in the form of provolonestyle cheese and ciabatta brushed with a lot of olive oil. Then I griddle the sandwich so the cheese melts and the crust gets crunchy.

Sliced into tiny portions, the sandwiches seem ordinary and special at the same time. I recommend eating many of them all summer long.

Free Britney!

Photos by Christian Reynoso

Sliced tomatoes, summer squash, garlic and chives, from top, provide the filling for these tantalizing summer sandwiches that resemble panini because they are grilled with melty cheese.