Caprese Salad

Ingredients

2 medium vine-ripe cherry tomatoes, halved 4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced into disks ¼ c – 1/3c fresh basil Lemon infused extra virgin olive oil (recipe to follow) Balsamic glaze (recipe to follow) ½ c + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, separated 1 c extra virgin olive oil Zest from 1 lemon

Directions

Instructions Slice tomatoes and mozzarella; salt tomatoes only Arrange tomatoes; mozzarella; and basil in an alternating pattern; top with fresh ground pepper Drizzle with lemon infused olive oil and balsamic glaze Instructions Instructions Add ½ c balsamic vinegar to saucepan over medium heat Allow balsamic to simmer for about 8 minutes until reduced by half (don’t walk away at this point – the vinegar can easily scorch) Remove from heat; allow to cool slightly Add remaining 1 tsp balsamic vinegar to glaze; stir to combine **I personally like a little bit of an acidic bite to my caprese salad (not to mention that adding it makes the glaze easier to drizzle), but feel free to leave out the extra 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar if you prefer a sweeter, thicker glaze. Instructions Instructions Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from one lemon Heat olive oil and lemon zest strips in a sauté pan for approx 10 minutes on medium-low heat Remove lemon peel Allow olive oil to cool completely before use.

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