Caprese
Tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil — and nothing to hide behind
- Serves
- 4
- Hands-on
- Total
- Level
- Easy
Three ingredients in the colors of the Italian flag, which means every one has to be excellent: tomatoes at their peak, soft fresh mozzarella and fragrant basil. The only techniques are salting the tomatoes first and bringing the cheese to room temperature.
Ingredients
- 600 gripe tomatoes, mixed sizes and colors (1⅓ lb)sliced 1 cm thick or cut into wedges
- 3 gflaky or fine sea salt (½ tsp)
- 250 gfresh mozzarella (buffalo or fior di latte) (9 oz)2 balls, drained
- 15 gbasil leaves (a large handful)
- 60 mlyour best extra-virgin olive oil (¼ cup)
- black pepper
- Diet
- Vegetarian, Gluten-free
- Allergens
- milk
- Origin
- Italy (Campania)
- Season
- Summer
Method
- Take the mozzarella out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving, still in its liquid.
- Arrange the tomatoes on a platter and sprinkle with the salt. Leave 10 minutes.
- Tear the mozzarella into rough pieces with your fingers and tuck them among the tomatoes.
- Scatter over the basil leaves, tearing large ones. Pour the olive oil over everything, add a few grinds of pepper and serve straight away.
Why it works
Cold mutes flavor and firms the milk fats in mozzarella; at room temperature it turns soft and milky-sweet. Salting the tomatoes ahead seasons them through and draws juices that mingle with the oil. Torn mozzarella has a rough surface that holds oil and salt much better than neat slices.
Common mistakes
- Serving fridge-cold: everything tastes of nothing.
- Balsamic glaze: it smothers the delicate flavors. If tomatoes need help, a few drops of good red wine vinegar is better.
- Cutting basil with a knife long before serving: it blackens. Tear it at the last moment.
Variations
- With peaches
- Replace a third of the tomatoes with ripe peach wedges and add a pinch of chili flakes.
- Burrata
- Use one 250 g burrata, torn open in the center of the platter.
