Today is my birthday, and in normal Pamela fashion (from Downton Abbey Cooks), I plan to continue the celebrations as long as I possibly can, so I’ll be celebrating all week long with luncheons and dinners and of course, the obligatory trips to the gym to offset the effects of said celebrations!
JT is actually taking me out for a special “Iron Chef” dinner which will require a post of its own. Stay tuned.
We were out Friday night at a relatively new place and I had the Caprese salad which was drizzled with Extra Virgin Olive Oil without balsamic (this place is notorious for sticking to authentic Italian food and if it is NOT authentic, it’s simply NOT done) and it was delicious. Although I do love balsamic with tomatoes, this version allowed the subtle flavour of the bufalo mozzarella and the acidity of the tomatoes through. It was a very lovely experience, so I decided to create this simple hors d’œuvres the same way.
Caprese Salad Bites
Serves 4, or two really hungry people!
Ingredients:
- 16 grape tomatoes
- 8 mini bufalo mozzarella cheese balls
- 16 small basil leaves (I used both Italian basil and variegated basil)
- 1-3 tbsp EVOO
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 16 wooden toothpicks
Directions:
- Slice the bufalo mozzarella in halves.
- Skewer one tomato, one smallish basil leaf and the bufalo mozzarella; continue until you have them all done.
- Serve at room temperature, in a little bowl, drizzled with EVOO and Himalayan pink salt
Happy birthday again Eva! I figure it’s not belated yet…it’s still your birthday week. We celebrate for at least a week. 🙂 So would you believe I made something very similar for Miss A’s and Mr. N’s birthday party with the family?! I used skewers instead of toothpicks. Great minds think alike!
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It is a lovely and tidy little hors d’œuvres! And not that ‘bad’ for you either. Thanks for the good wishes, and yes, I am celebrating all week long!
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Happy belated birthday, Eva. I love this recipe. I made these for my Christmas party last year and they were a huge hit! Definitely making them again for this year’s party 🙂
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Thanks Denise, welcome to my blog. It is such a lovely fresh little bite sized nibble. Worth making when tomatoes are in season.
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Happy Birthday Eva – I hope you had a wonderful day! Sorry I missed it on the day… been rather busy around here! I’m glad you pushed the boat out for the mozzarella balls. They’re outrageously expensive, but sometimes you’ve gotta go for it if it’s a special occasion!
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Thank you kindly Charles, it’s a celebration that goes on for about a week (at least I try to drag it out to a week). The cost was totally worth the mozzarella balls, they are so tasty.
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Happy belated birthday my friend!! Sorry I missed it as I’ve been traveling around the Cowboy State. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
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Thank you kindly , Jed, very thoughtful of you. No worries, I celebrate for as long as I possibly can. What are you doing travelling around the cowboy state?
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Just exploring and finding the next place for a Glutton Travels post. 😉
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Happy Belated Birthday! And this is sooo simple! I will definitely throw this together for lunch/snacking one day!
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Thank you kindly Amanda.
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Happy BirthWeek Eva! Enjoy your feasting!
My husband has actually been nagging me about Caprese after he saw a picture of it. Unfortunately, tomatoes cost a fortune out of season so he is just going to have to wait until at least spring. You could even add a crouton to these bites sized Caprese to turn it into the breaded version. I’ve never tried fresh mozzrella before. The supermarket, non-fresh kind doesn’t look anything like the fresh stuff. I’m sure someone makes it locally. I must find them before spring.
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Hi Genie, the fresh mozzarella is nothing like the standard. Bocconcini is a good substitute, but it’s still chewier than the Fresh Mozzarella. Unseasonal tomatoes are not really worth it anyway, so it is best to wait.
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Have I had these at your place? I think so. Such a perfect way to start a meal –and nice for the cook too, as there are so many other dishes to prepare! Hope you had a great birthday….couldn’t help but noice the status about a blue box on Facebook!
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Oh yes, my friend. JT has done well, very well! And I got the meat grinder attachment on my kitchenaid (which would not have bode well if not for the lovely robin’s egg blue box!!!!)
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You learned well, grasshopper. Never celebrate your birthday in one day when many days will do. Lord D doesn’t share the same sentiment for his birthday, but he does celebrate our anniversary (which is today) every day of the year.
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Happy of happiest anniversary to you my friend. I will soon have the same sentiment as Lord D about bdays. Today I had to punch in a “9” instead of an “8” on my elliptical and it hurt.
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Happy birthday my dear friend!!! I actually have some pink Hamalayan salt in my cupboard… ha 🙂 So I have to try them with caprese salad next time. Have a great week Eva
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Thanks Yudith, I love pink, it just makes everything perfect.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I am staying tuned for the special “Iron Chef” birthday dinner. Celebrate as long as you can, that’s the way to go.
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Thanks Norma, I’ll try to get the post done tonight and sneak it into this week, I have posts all geared up until August 4tth!
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Happy Birthday Eva! Have a fantastic b-day week, and look forward to all the delicious posts coming up. I recently bought Himalayan pink salt and this recipe is easy one to start using the salt. I’ve made caprese salad last year for the first time, but forgot about it. Thanks for the recipe!
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Thanks Nami, I will certainly have a lovely birthday week!
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A big happy birthday lovely Eva!!! I hope you had a wonderful one and it was full of love and laughter 😀 These are the perfect party food!
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Thank you do much for your wonderful wishes Lorraine, it was indeed quite lovely.
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p.s. love how you’ve styled these colourful bites in the clear glass bowl – perfect way to showcase their beauty!
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Thanks Kelly, the bowl is from JTs grandparent’s wedding collection. It was all engraved with a T. There are only a few pieces left, but all cherished. I love using this bowl.
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Slap me Silly = :).
Happy, Happy Birthday Dear Eva!! I love your approach to protracted celebrating – that’s the way to do it 😉 – and I’m with you on the food and dining festivities… how fun.
Your caprese bites are a perfect start. I made very similar ones in the spring – so tasty and easy to assemble. A little drizzle of balsamic (I can’t resist – though I appreciate the pure taste you would achieve from just the oo) before show time and you’re off to the races. I hope you had a great birthday weekend Eva and I look forward to more of your culinary delights throughout the week!
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Thank you kindly Kelly. We went to Victor Restaurant in the St. Germain, for an Iron Chef dinner. I shall blog about it this week.
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Happy birthday Eva! Wish you much happiness and success in the year ahead 🙂 And these are drop dead gorgeous…I want to virtual hug you! Such a great party hors d’œuvre, so pretty to look at and so easy to make! And easier for guests to handle too!!
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Thank you kindly for your generous good wishes Meenakshi. They are an excellent party food. And so pretty too.
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Our three favourite Italian ingredients (toms mozz and basil) No wonder the Italians chose red white and green for their national colours. Many more happy returns. 🙂
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Thanks Corrie, it’s our fav too!
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Happy birthday, Eva! Cent’ anni!
These caprese bites are the best. My only problem with them is making enough so that even a few make it out of the kitchen for my guests. Once made, they’re just too easy to snack on.
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Thank you for you kind wishes John. No kidding about the bites, I think I had 3-4 while making them, but only because they were the rejects. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
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¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ Happy Birthday to you!!¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*• I hope you have a wonderful week of festive celebrations!! I’ve seen a similar dish (my girlfriend brought it to bookclub) but never with Buffalo!! That would be dreamy! Happy Birthday!! xx Smidge
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Thanks Smidge, love the new profile pic!
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Happy Birthday, Eva! I love the idea of celebrating for more than one day. I will follow your idea and try to stretch it to one week (I’ll see what happens 😉 ).
These snacks are simple as you say, but the simplest things are sometimes the best! I would love to have mozzarella at home now and copy your idea. Have a lovely weekend!
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Thank you kindly Sussi. It’s one of my favourite summer salads.
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Happy 29th! I love this one and I love pink salt. Perfect recipe.
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Thanks Greg. Ah yes, 29! 🙂
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Happy, Happy Birthday, Eva. I was delayed replying so I could put the date in my calendar notification so I’ll remember NEXT year.
Don’t do TOO much cooking today. Let someone else spoil you on your special day.
I’ve never tried fresh buffalo mozzarella balls at all let alone like this. Leave out the tomato and I’m sure it would be very tasty. 🙂
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Thank you kindly Maria, that’s very thoughtful of you to put my bday into you calendar, I’m quite flattered.
If you enjoy mild, creamy cheeses you would enjoy the bufala mozzarella. You should try boconcini first, it’s the cheaper version and if you like it, then splurge on the good stuff. You could substitute roasted red peppers for the tomatoes. Sometimes Metro or Sobey’s have the bufala mozzarella (or Whole Foods).
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Happy Birthday!
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Thanks Bill.
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Happy Birthday Eva!
Your Caprese Salad Bites look so simple yet absolutely delicious (despite the price tag that comes along with them)! I, unfortunately, cannot have mozzarella. Though it would be less authentic, I’d love to make these with goat mozzarella at some point.
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Thank you kindly Amber. I’ve never heard of goat mozzarella but I think I would love it, as I do love goats cheese.
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Happy birthday Eva!
wishing you a day full of magic!
I am with extending the celebration as long as possible 🙂
Loved the mini caprese bites..sorry about the second mortgage though 🙂
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Thanks Sawsan, the mini bufala mozzarella was worth it, the boconcini are a good substitute and not nearly as pricey.
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hey, Birthday kid! I hope you will eat some cakes later ;-))Those caprese salad bites are gorgeous.
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Thanks Angie the bites were indeed quite tasty.
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Happy Birthday, Eva!!! I absolutely love Caprese Salad, I could eat it every day. Unfortunately, where I live, I can’t find any Buffalo Mozzarella.
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Thanks Heike, one if the blogs I follow ChgoJohn from the Bartolini kitchens did a step by step post on how to make your own fresh mozzarella cheese!
Thanks for the comment, welcome to the blog.
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Happy birthday, my friend!!!! What a yummy splurge…I adore this combination of flavors…and will never tire of Caprese anything!!!
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I know what you mean, Liz. I practically ate Caprese every day when we were in Italy the last time.
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Happy Birthday!!!! 😀 😀
You celebrate all year round if you desire 😉
I would if I got to eat these gorgeous delicious bites!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Thanks CCU.
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Happy Birthday, Eva! This looks like a delicious appetizer,
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Thank you kindly Sharyn.
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Best birthday wishes to you Eva. Looking forward to hearing all about your birthday celebration. What a great salad. So healthy and tasty. Buffalo mozzarella is incredibly expensive here too. Jamie Oliver recipes often call for it but you want to make sure you really need it because it can really blow the budget xx
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Thank you kindly Charlie; the celebrations were lovely and of course the robin’s egg blue box didn’t hurt either.
I’m still trying to source a less pasteurized milk to give Chgo John’s home made mozzarella another try, the first one didn’t work out.
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Happy Birthday! I really want some of these even though I have nothing at all to celebrate!
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Thanks Maureen.
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