Red, white, and blue never tasted so good! The juicy berries, fresh mozzarella cheese, and balsamic reduction’s sweet, syrupy goodness in this BERRY CAPRESE will have everyone coming back for more!
While I am a huge fan of making food a big part of the holidays, I am also a little bit lazy. So while I enjoy making foods red, white, and blue, I don’t want everything to be sugary sweet and take a ton of time to get perfect. Ya know? Like I feel like when I look for red white and blue options it is mostly desserts or things that are intricately layered and designed. But I wanted something that wouldn’t leave my kids bouncing off the walls, and would be a little more sophisticated, but still easy to make. And this is definitely that!
I mean just look at those juicy berries and that deliciously creamy cheese.
I am a huge fan of caprese. I mean, I love a caprese sandwich, salad, or just a traditional version. A few years ago my husband was working in a restaurant that offered a mango version. And it was amazing. It was this eye-opening thing for me, where a world of possibilities formed because I realized that delightful syrupy thing called balsamic reduction could be used not just on tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella, but on berries and mozzarella! And it is good stuff.
So, let’s talk about balsamic reduction for a second. It is pretty easy to make. You basically just cook down balsamic vinegar until it is thick and syrupy. It brings out the rich flavors of the balsamic and sweetens it a little, which makes it an amazing addition to just about everything under the sun. Including berries and cheese.
However, if you are lazy, you can actually buy it already reduced. It is usually called Balsamic Glaze. And it rocks.
Amazing right?
Ingredients
- Fresh mozzarella
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar reduced
Instructions
Reducing the balsamic
- Place balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat so it stays at a strong simmer until reduced by one-third
- Dip a spoon, and when the mixture coats a spoon, it is done.
- Remove it from heat and allow the balsamic reduction to cool
- It will thicken as it cools, if it gets too thick, then add more vinegar and return it to the heat and stir. If it is too thick, repeat until it reaches the consistency you would like.
- Cool balsamic
- Layer mozzarella slices, with strawberries, sprinkle blueberries over the top, and drizzle with balsamic!
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