I love Caprese Salad so much it actually hurts. I love it as a main dish salad, I love it as a side dish with beef, I love it as an appetizer before a meal, I love it as a mid-afternoon snack. Caprese is truly a magical and perfect combination of flavors, textures, and freshness: ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, and some kind of drizzle of either olive oil or balsamic… or both.
For this Caprese, I used a simple balsamic reduction, which results in a pretty presentation and gorgeous flavor.
Serve a platter of Caprese Salad as a 4th of July appetizer! I usually do, and it’s always a welcome treat amidst all the burgers and hot dogs and ribs and celebration and fun.
And it’s… well, it’s Caprese.
Start with the balsamic reduction. It’s a cinch–just don’t walk outside to water your garden while it’s reducing or you’ll wind up having to do it all over again.
I speak from experience here, people.
Precise measurements aren’t important; you can do a whole bottle or just a small amount, but if I’m going to go to the trouble, I often just do a whole bottle.
Which means when I go outside and water my garden and forget about it, I waste a whole bottle and have to start over.
Don’t be like me.
Pour it into a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil over medium to medium-low heat.
Watermelons and Child Paintings: A Still Life.
Let the balsamic reduce for a good ten to twenty minutes, depending on how much you’re reducing.
It’ll slowly start to thicken. Remove it from the heat when it’s a nice, thick (but still pourable) glaze.
Again, I burned my first batch and had to do it again. This is my second batch, which I stuck in the fridge to cool since I was chasing daylight and was so hungry for Caprese I couldn’t see straight. Since it’s cool, it looks a little thick…but it wound up being the perfect consistency.
You need mozzarella, tomatoes, lots of basil, olive oil, salt and pepper, and the balsamic reduction.
And you’ll need the sheer will to get Caprese in your mouth as soon as humanly possible.
Cut the tomatoes into slightly thick slices.
Do the same with the mozzarella.
Basil, basil, basil. I’ll have you know that I have approximately fourteen thousand basil plants in my garden. For the first time in a long time, I feel there’s something to hope for each day.
Alternate tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter you bought at Sam’s Club one summer in a fit of rage.
Have you ever bought a platter at Sam’s Club in a fit of rage?
I wouldn’t recommend it.
Pretty, but it’s not good enough.
Tuck basil leaves in between each slice.
I’m starting to get excited now.
But we’re still not done.
Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil…
And, finally, a beautiful drizzle of the balsamic reduction.
There’s nothing like that beautiful dark-colored gloss. It’s such a contrast to the red, green, and white.
Because the basil leaves are all drizzled with stuff, I throw on a few pure and holy ones at the end just for kicks. Also, sprinkle on kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divine.
Total loveliness. Now, you’ll notice that on the moist/wet mozzarella, the balsamic reduction starts to seep and run (a watercolor effect)–but on the basil leaves and platter, it remains more of a semi-solid glaze. So if you’re artistic (and I’m not) you can create designs on the sides of your platter to really up the presentation factor.
But last night, presentation wasn’t foremost on my mind. This was.
Oh, and guess what? Balsamic reduction is delicious on beef.
Over and out.
Amen.
