I hosted a going-away party this weekend and had a chance to put together some fun little canapes for my guests. We are starting to see some the first of season heirloom tomatoes at the markets right now, and I found some delicious lemon basil at the Laguna Hills market on Friday. I thought I would put together these seasonal ingredients into a little one-bite caprese salad.
Start with some round cherry tomatoes. I used red, yellow and purple heirlooms. Scoop out the seeds and pulp to make a little bowl–a grapefruit spoon works perfectly for this task. Then lay one basil leaf in your tomato bowl. Put in a piece of fresh mozzarella. My market was out of the tini olovini balls, which I bet would fit perfectly, so I used the regular small-sized balls quartered. Then add a dollop of olive-balsamic tapanade on top. If you are in a hurry you can buy this prepared, but it is easy to make by processing about a cup of good kalmata olives (seed removed) with a clove of garlic and tablespoon each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The best thing about these little canapes? You can make them up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator without worrying about any ingredients getting soggy.
This original recipe belongs to Rachael of localoranges.com. Please do not reproduce without permission.
