Roasted Caprese Tomatoes

          This is a variation of Caprese Salad and it is great for an impressive appetizer. Roasting tomatoes makes them tangy and more acidic tasting and also softens them a lot. I have been working with these ingredients a lot lately and after making raw versions of this salad, I wanted to make a cooked version that looked fancy. This technique worked well since the finished dish has good geometric shapes and results in distinct pieces.

                         Ingredients:                          Equipment Needed: 

                         -2 Tomatoes                           -Knife + Cutting Board

                         -Fresh Mozzarella                   -Baking Sheet

                         -Fresh Basil                            -Spatula

                         -Balsamic Vinegar

                         -Olive Oil

                         -Salt

                         -Pepper

Preparation/Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Serves: 2
Proportion: 3 thin Mozzarella slices for every whole tomato.
Difficulty Rank: Takes a Little Work

          Okay, the thing is, while there aren't a lot of ingredients, they are not really substitutable; because there are so few ingredients, they all need to be decent quality because there aren't enough flavors to cover up for a bad ingredient. So for instance, if you use shredded mozzarella or some other kind of cheese, it won't taste anywhere near as good; fresh mozzarella has a slightly fluffy texture and it is very creamy. You will have to find a brand you like, I have had some mozzarella's that tasted too fresh; I personally like BelGioioso. Also, dried basil won't cut it, because using fresh basil adds a bright element to the dish. I'd recommend buying an actual basil plant rather than the prepackaged basil leaves. The plant doesn't cost that much more and the plant leaves are more aromatic and less vegetative than the packaged leaves. Lastly you will have to use balsamic vinegar since it has more flavor depth than other kinds of vinegar. For salt I use sea salt because it has a crunchy texture and delicate flavor and for pepper I use the kind that comes in a grinder.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius.

2. Cut tomatoes in half.
3. Place 3 deep cuts into the tomato.
4. Tray and season tomatoes.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
6. Slice 3 thin slices of mozzarella/whole tomato and them cut cheese up.
7. Mix cheese cubes with seasoning.
8. Garnish finished tomatoes.

Detailed Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius.

2. Cut the tomato in half.

3. Place 3 deep cuts* in the tomato as seen below. DON'T cut too close to the edges or the tomato will break in the oven.

          *The reason for the cuts is to help the vinegar soak into the tomato and distribute the flavor 
             better. 

4. Put the tomatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle: salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar on.

5. Put in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

6. While you wait, slice 3 thin slices of fresh mozzarella for every 1 tomato you used.

          *When slicing press lightly so that you don't smush the cheese. A serrated knife would work best
             since it would act as a saw which means you wouldn't need to press hard.

  6. Cutting the Cheese       7. Seasoned Cube Mix

          Next slice of the ends off the circle of cheese as seen above, leaving a rectangle in the middle. Then take the ends and dice them up. Then take the middle and cut it in half like in the photo above. I left a slice of cheese in each step so that you can see the process.

7. Take the cubed mozzarella and mix it with some coarsely chopped basil, a light coating of balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil and a pinch of salt.

8. When then tomatoes are done, scoop them off carefully with a spatula. Then put the cubed cheese mix on top of the tomato halves, then lay 2 of the cheese strips on top of that and garnish with a basil leaf and your'e done!