Easy Strawberry Caprese Salad w/ Brown Sugar Balsamic + Mint

Beautiful food!!!

Is there anything better?

We’re entering that blissful time of year where the seasonal produce is a kaleidoscope of candy-coated gorgeousness, and I couldn’t be happier. While I mentioned in my last post that most summer fruits and veggies are still on the verge of peaking, I just couldn’t resist combining two of my favorites for MDW entertaining – tomatoes, and strawberries.

Last summer I grew sugar lump tomatoes on my NYC terrace, and in learning all about their intricacies I discovered that they are actually a fruit, not a veggie. Did you know this?! I did not. There’s a few different schools of thought on what distinguishes a fruit from a vegetable — apparently scientists and chefs don’t exactly agree — but scientifically, a fruit is what develops from the fertilized ovary of a flower, whereas a vegetable is all the other edible parts of a plant. So produce like tomatoes, pumpkins, and eggplant are technically fruit, while spinach, onions, and beets are definitively veggies.

The more you know, right? Right.

So strictly speaking this beautiful dish is a full-on fruit salad, but I won’t shade you if you consider it otherwise. The important thing to know is that this takes a mere 15 minutes to make — slicing & dicing time included! — is ample enough to feed an army, and shines like a damn RUBY, so prepare for swooning when you serve it.

Caprese is one of those classic summer salads that pretty much everyone loves, so I figured throwing in strawberries would make it that much more lovable. Tomatoes and strawberries have similar textures — thickish skins + smooth insides — so they compliment each other nicely, not to mention their dueling shades of red give me heart palpitations. But because of the strawberries I decided that your basic caprese dressing of EVOO + balsamic just wouldn’t do, so I stepped things up with a touch of brown sugar + shredded mint, and it tastes just as delicious as it sounds.

Adding brown sugar to the EVOO + balsamic mix brings out the sweetness of the strawberries AND the tomatoes, but it’s not overpowering – The tomatoes still maintain their savoriness, so the end result is a perfect balance of the two sensations. As for the mint, it’s like a built-in palate cleanser that bounces off the basil and fruits for a crisp, clean finish with every bite.

It’s super refreshing and revitalizing, just like all summer foods should be.

Of course there’s mozzarella in this, and I chose mini mozzarella balls (bocconcini) because they’re cute and proportionate to the other salad components. As written the recipe calls for 8oz of mozz, which I found to be sufficient. But if you like your caprese heavy on the chee, buy a little more when you’re shopping so you can adjust the mozz-level to your liking.

And while you’re at it, buy wine!! This salad is dying to be paired with an ice-cold glass of Sancerre.

Easy Strawberry Caprese Salad w/ Brown Sugar Balsamic + Mint

Yield: 10 - 12 servings

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 15 minutes

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tbsps Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsps Brown Sugar
• 1 lb Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 lb Strawberries
• 1 cup Basil Leaves
• 1/2 cup Mint Leaves
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 tbsps Lemon Juice
• 8 oz Bocconcini (Mini Mozzarella Balls)

Directions:

1. In small mixing bowl combine the EVOO, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar, whisking well until smooth.
2. On cutting board halve the cherry tomatoes, quarter the strawberries, and shred the basil and mint. Next, transfer tomatoes to large mixing bowl and amply salt and pepper – Taste as you go until desired seasoning. Next, add all other ingredients to bowl, tossing until combined. Immediately serve, or refrigerator until needed.

>> cheese enthusiasts may want to add more bocconcini, just fyi!

swooning!

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