Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

• 500 g ripe tomatoes, room temperature, cut into 1 cm slices
• 250 g fresh mozzarella, drained and cut into 1 cm slices
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp honey or sugar (for the glaze)
• ½ tsp flaky sea salt, or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Pour the balsamic vinegar and honey into a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
2. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vinegar has reduced by about half and coats the back of a spoon. Pour it into a small bowl and let it cool; it thickens as it cools.
3. While the glaze cools, pat the mozzarella slices dry with kitchen paper so the salad does not turn watery.
4. Slice the tomatoes with a serrated knife and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Leave them for 5 minutes, then blot away the extra juice.
5. Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter in overlapping rows, alternating them.
6. Tuck the basil leaves between the slices. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with pepper and a little more salt if needed.
7. Drizzle the cooled glaze over the top just before serving. Serve at once.

Tips

• Use tomatoes that are fully ripe and have not been kept in the fridge. Cold tomatoes taste flat.
• Salt the tomatoes only a few minutes ahead, or they will release too much liquid.
• Tear the basil by hand instead of cutting it, so the edges do not turn dark.
• If the glaze becomes too thick once cool, stir in a teaspoon of warm water.