Our favorite go-to appetizer is this one - accidentally vegetarian, gluten free, and healthy and delicious! A bite size vision of caprese salad, these skewers make an appearance at almost every gathering we host and they are ALWAYS a hit.
Colorful and appetizing, they are SO easy and fun! Kind of like grown up lollipops?! They take just 4 ingredients and a few minutes to assemble.
We like to serve them alongside a charcuterie platter. With our favorite purchased dips and cheeses and these addictive mini rice crackers from Trader Joe’s. We away add some fruit and veggies for texture, taste, and color contrast. It makes an impressive display to serve with no cooking or heating involved - a really nice perk for warm weather entertaining!
The final ingredient to finish these is a drizzle of balsamic glaze. While you could use a high quality olive oil and fresh cracked pepper as a finish, but we like the slight sweetness of the balsamic glaze.
In a pinch, I’ve used plain balsamic vinegar too, but the syrupy consistency of the glaze clings a lot better, and is a bit sweeter.
You ALWAYS have balsamic vinegar in the pantry, right? It one of the things on our list of pantry essentials for the impromptu gourmet!
You can make your own glaze by bringing a cup of balsamic vinegar (and an optional 1/2 Tbsp honey if you want an even sweeter glaze) to a boil in a saucepan and reducing to a simmer for ~15 minutes until it evaporates to a little less than half of the volume and coats the back of a spoon. It will thicken even more as it cools.
Caprese Skewers
1 pint cherry tomatoes - any variety will work!
1 tub herb marinated mozzarella balls - or unmarinated works too
1 bunch fresh basil leaves - during the summer we grow these in pots on our back porch!
Drizzle of balsamic creme or glaze - in a pinch I’ve used plain balsamic vinegar too, but the syrupy consistency of the glaze clings a bit better
Wooden skewers
For each skewer stack one cheese ball, one basil leaf, and one cherry tomato. Arrange on a platter and drizzle with balsamic glaze. These can be made ahead and stored in the fridge covered overnight.
Skewers can also be loaded up with several of each ingredient for a clever presentation of caprese salad as a first course or side dish.
