It’s hard to beat the classic flavour combination of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.
However, this version adds another dimension – a rich, syrupy balsamic glaze!
Pair this with a quality extra virgin olive oil and you’ve got a winning salad.
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Equipment needed
- Chopping board
- 8″ chef’s knife
- Compost bin for food waste
- Medium pot
- Platter or large plate
- Salad servers
Ingredients needed
- 4 large ripe tomatoes
- 12 oz. fresh mozzarella or a large ball
- 1 large bunch fresh basil, washed and dried
- 3 T. really good extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 cup of quality balsamic vinegar
- sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper, to taste
Balsamic glaze directions
To make balsamic glaze:
- Pour 1 cup of good balsamic vinegar in a medium pot and heat over MEDIUM-HIGH until vinegar begins to boil.
- Reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 of its original volume.
TIP: Check the sides of the pot to see how much you’ve reduced the vinegar by. - Stir the liquid as it simmers.
When the liquid becomes thick and syrupy, remove pot from the heat and allow to cool.
Salad directions
While balsamic glaze cools:
- Thoroughly wash tomatoes and fresh basil.
Pat dry. - Top and tail the tomatoes and discard those into the compost.
- Slice tomatoes into approximately ¼” thick slices and set aside.
- Slice fresh mozzarella into ¼” thick pieces and set aside.
- On a serving platter or large plate, start with a tomato slice at one end.
Follow with a slice of mozzarella then a large, fresh basil leaf. - Repeat this pattern until you’ve added 1 tomato and approximately 3 oz. of mozzarella to each plate.
Finish each salad with a tomato slice. - Drizzle everything with high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Check the glaze is cool before doing a final drizzle over everything.
- Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil, if desired and serve.
Caprese Salad Drizzled With a Balsamic Glaze
Equipment
- Chopping board
- 8" Chef's knife
- Mediul pot
- Wooden spoon
- Compost bin
Ingredients
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 12 oz mozarella cheese or one large ball
- 1 bunch basil
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
Balsamic Glaze
- Add 1 cup balsamic vinegar to a medium-sized pot. Turn heat to MEDIUM-HIGH and bring to boil. Reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW or until liquid is simmering. Stir to prevent liquid from sticking.
- Simmer until the original amount of liquid has reduced to 1/3, or turned thick and syrupy.Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Caprese Salad
- Wash and dry tomatoes and basil. Set basil aside and cut tomatoes into 1/4" thick slices.
- Cut mozzarella cheese into 1/4" thick slices and set aside.
- At one end of each plate begin with a tomato slice, then a mozzarella slice followed by a large basil leaf. Repeat this pattern until each plate has one tomato and 3oz of cheese.
- Drizzle everything with olive oil, balsamic glaze and add sea salt and black pepper to taste.Garnish with extra basil leaves and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Gift ideas
Something about a sensational red, green, and white salad makes you want to find the perfect shallow dish to set the scene.
Having a black handmade ceramic salad bowl makes for a change on the table.
This one is baked at 1220 degrees to combine durability with elegance.
This salad bowl comes with serving spoons and makes a great gift if you can bear to part with it.
The mixed clay gives the bowl a modern look and the turquoise glaze adds a pop of colour.
It would work if you were adding balls of mozzarella cheese with cherry tomatoes!
I fell in love with these simple, elegant handmade wood salad servers and then discovered you can also buy a bowl!
Again, a perfect bowl for mozzarella cheese balls and cherry tomatoes!
I LOve Caprese Salad and this looks delish! You’ve said you would make our recipe and post our recipe. What I’d love is for you to make an Antipasto Salad. It’s another one of my favorites. Love to see yours :>)
Thanks, Patricia! Antipasto Salad is one of my favorites too! I’ve added your request to my list, so you’ll see it soon!