I just love a good Caprese salad. Fresh, quality Mozzarella, red ripe tomatoes, the pungent flavor of basil a drizzle of Balsamic and a little sprinkle of sea salt on top.
That's your recipe right there. Nothing to it - just simple, quality ingredients that make for an elegant appetizer and great light summer dinner or side dish.
I like to serve this as an appetizer. I assemble them on porcelain Won Ton soup spoons. These are great for one bit appetizers.
For this particular arrangement I drizzled some Balsamic salad dressing (I like Ken's Steakhouse Balsamic vinaigrette) in the bottom of the spoon so that is the last thing to hit your tongue. Top that with some cut up Bocconcini and a cherry tomato sliced in half. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and some small shreds of basil. These are so good.
I finally had to move the tray to a higher point on the table because K swiped a spoon full every time she passed the table.
The combination might seem odd at first, but trust me, it is delicious and oh so easy.
This is all you have to do:
Open one bar of cream cheese and put on serving plate
Pour or spoon Red Pepper Jelly over bar of cream cheese
Serve with crackers
Sit back and enjoy the rave reviews
That's it right there on the white plate on the corner of the table. I'm sure you are skeptical that this is really something people want to eat, but trust me it is. Before long you will start spreading this combo on toast and muffins - you name it!
You can get the Hot Red Pepper jelly. It is fine too but I prefer the taste of the regular Red Pepper Jelly. I have also used the Green Pepper Jelly in a pinch but it is not my preferred flavor. For another option, serve with your favorite fruit spread instead of the Red Pepper jelly.
