What better way to practice my flat lays than with this delicious caprese salad? This recipe is perfect for fresh summer tomatoes, and it couldn’t be easier to put together. The key is not skipping out on making the balsamic glaze! You can make it as an appetizer for hosting a bougie dinner party, but I won’t judge if you just make it for yourself (like I did 😎)
Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups balsamic vinegar
- 3 large ripe tomatoes
- 12 oz fresh mozzarella
- large bunch of fresh basil
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- First, make the balsamic glaze. This can be done ahead of time, and this recipe makes more than you need for the salad, so you'll have extra for other recipes! Pour the balsamic vinegar into a medium pot and place over medium heat until it comes to a low, soft boil. Then, let it gently reduce for 15 minutes. Stir it every so often and keep an eye on it to make sure it's not boiling too hard. You know it's done when it's lost over half it's original volume and it's begun to thicken. Remove from heat allow it to cool to room temperature before using. I recommend pouring it into a heat-proof bowl or pitcher immediately after removing from the heat to stop the cooking process.
- While the glaze cools, slice the tomatoes into thick slices. Make sure your knife is sharp, or you'll end up crushing the tomatoes.
- If your mozzarella is not pre-sliced, it's easiest to cut with wax-free, unflavored dental floss. Simply wrap the floss around the mozzarella at the depth you wish to make a cut and pull it tight; it'll slice through much easier than trying to do it with a kitchen knife! Cut the mozzarella into 1/4"-1/3" slices.
- Lay the tomato and mozzarella slices out on your serving plate in an alternating overlapping pattern, and then add fresh basil leaves throughout. This is personal preference, but I believe the more basil the better!
- Finally, generously season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and then drizzle the cooled balsamic glaze over top, followed by a light drizzle of olive oil.
- Enjoy!
