Caprese Tart

A light and crispy savory tart can be a fun snack or a nice appetizer to begin a meal. The inspiration for this caprese tart comes from a tomato tart recipe by our friends at Breaking Naan. The tomato tart consists of a baked puff pastry, topped with mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and herbs - simple ingredients and easy steps, especially if you’re using a pre-made frozen puff pastry sheet. In this recipe, the toppings are modified just a little by switching fresh basil for chives and adding some tart balsamic vinegar to contrast the creaminess of the cheese.

Ingredients:

1 puff pastry sheet - defrosted if frozen (I used Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry)

Toppings:

2 large tomatoes sliced very thin (I used Roma tomatoes)

1-2 low moisture mozzarella cheese slices

2-3 fresh basil leaves

Salt (optional - I didn’t use any)

Black pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)

Dressing:

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Minced garlic

Heat oven to 400 F. Cut the puff pastry sheet into 3 parts lengthwise. The one I used comes folded in thirds making this very easy. Place the puff pastry on a baking pan. Gently roll the edges and seal the seam by pressing down with your fingers. This is an optional step but the slightly raised edges keep the tomato juice from leaking out and it also makes good presentation. Using a fork, poke holes in the pastry (except for the rolled edges) to keep it from rising too much.

Bake for ~15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Don’t brown it too much because it will be going back in the oven with the toppings.

To make the marinade, mix 1 part olive oil with 2 parts balsamic vinegar. Add minced garlic (to taste).

Tear the mozzarella slices into small pieces and spread them evenly on the baked pastry sheets. Layer the tomato slices on top - I got about two layers of thin slices. Spoon over the dressing, add black pepper or pepper flakes (if using), and broil in the oven for about a minute until cheese melts.

Chiffonade or coarsely chop the basil and sprinkle on top of the prepared tarts. Slice and serve warm as an appetizer or a side.

~Gayatri

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Crispy Caprese Tart - inspired by the tomato tart by out friends at Breaking Naan...

Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Sunday, February 7, 2016

Caprese Salad on a Stick

Summer is the time for picnics and potlucks. Taking advantage of the good weather, my Toastmasters club recently had an outdoor meeting in a park. We made it a potluck - because any gathering is better with food! Since we meet on a weekday, I had to think of something that was quick and easy to make. Typically I bake desserts for potlucks but I didn’t quite have the time for that, so I changed things up this time and brought a Caprese salad. Salad isn’t really finger food unless you put it on a stick! To make it easy to pick up and eat without utensils, I used a toothpick to hold the tomatoes and cheese. Not only is this bite sized snack easy to make, it is also summery with bright colors and juicy tomatoes, and the salad on a stick makes for a fun presentation.
 

Ingredients

~40 red cherry tomatoes (I used 20 red grape tomatoes cut in half)

~40 yellow cherry tomatoes

8oz fresh mozzarella balls (the ones that are stored in water in a small container). If you can find the tiny ones, those would be perfect, but I halved the larger ones and it worked just fine

Marinade

⅛-¼ cup olive oil

2-3 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp chopped basil leaves (fresh works best!)

A pinch of salt

~1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Drain the mozzarella balls. Cut them in half if using the larger ones like I did. There were about 20 in the container, so I got 40 halves. Add the mozzarella balls to the marinade, coat evenly and let it rest for about half hour (or longer).

 

In the meantime, cut the red grape tomatoes in half breadthwise (not end-to-end). If using cherry tomatoes skip this step because they’re small enough.

To assemble, insert a toothpick through a red tomato (or half if using grape tomato), followed by a piece of marinated mozzarella cheese (gently squeeze out excess oil if needed), and then a yellow tomato. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Arrange on a plate and serve sprinkled with additional chopped basil leaves. You can also drizzle a balsamic reduction for extra tangy and sweet flavor. To make the reduction, heat ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar with a small pinch of sugar over low-medium heat until reduced to half. If it gets too thick, mix in some water or some of the marinade. Let it cool before drizzling on the tomatoes.

 

~Gayatri

Note: Leftover marinade can be used as a salad dressing.

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Another bite sized snack - Caprese salad on a stick! Bright colors, delicious taste and most importantly, quick and easy to make!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2015/09/caprese-salad-on-stick.html
Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Thursday, September 17, 2015