Caprese Bruschetta

This is by far my favorite salad or antipasto. You can't see but under the prosciutto is a line of roasted red peppers marinated in olive oil & garlic. Usually I will dress it with champagne vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, pepper and basil.








One day, making traditional tomato bruschetta, I thought I would shake it up a bit and make it more of a meal, then an antipasto.





I chopped the tomatoes and the red onion as usual but then added prosciutto, fresh mozzarella pearls, roasted red peppers and basil (all chopped to 1/4" dice), made a dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and salt & pepper, let it rest for an hour, grilled slices of a baguette, and served it with a cold bottle of Sauv Blanc.

I roasted a whole head of garlic to spread on the grilled bread and bought a wonderful, very good Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain.

The Nudge loved it so much it has become our annual ritual for the opening of our patio each summer. We actually have not had a good Saturday this year so far and today looks like we have a shot at it.

When you buy the prosciutto for this recipe ask for them to slice it 'slightly' thicker than the shaved slices we usually ask for.

If you can get the pearls of mozzarella, it is one less step and a time saver and the perfect size for a bruschetta topping.

I am lucky, I can order as much as I need at the appetizer counter in my market, so I am not stuck with leftovers...not that I wouldn't know what to do with them.
If you change the water every day, they last a nice long time in the fridge.

The next important tip is about sea salt. You want a salt that flakes not one that's chunky. I have Malden Sea Salt and a Smoked Sea Salt.

Those are finishing salts.
Finishing salts are considered the premier varieties in the world of specialty salts. They are harvested—generally by hand—in special areas around the world and are known for their unique textures. The various finishing salt textures—usually either moist crystals or delicate flakes—provide a strong crunch and dissolve quickly, giving you a burst of clean, mild salty flavor with each bite. These salts bring out the depth of natural flavors of any dish, and also add to a beautiful tableside presentation.

It just makes the dish. After finishing the bruschetta with that great olive oil, a sprinkling of sea salt wakes all your taste buds up and you experience the 5th taste...."umami".

Slice a good baguette in diagonal 1/2" slices and without oil, grill them till they develop a nice crust.

Spread the crostini with roasted garlic.
yum.

Top with a spoonful of the chopped caprese salad mix. See the red peppers, tomatoes, pearls of mozzarella, red onion, prosciutto and basil?
Double yum

Dribble a few drops of your really good EVOO and finish with that wonderful salt.
You will never taste anything better on a grilled slice of bread.

The Shop-Rite had turnovers on special so I picked up some cherry ones.
Cool Whip Free added a nice coolness to them. They really don't put a lot of filling in their pastries, but there was no way I was baking anything.