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Broiled Caprese

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

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Ingredients

  • 5 or 6 large ripe tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • 12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 bunch fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  1. Turn the broiler to high; put the rack 4 inches from the heat.
  2. Core the tomatoes; slice crosswise into rounds about 1/2 inch thick; put them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with some olive oil.
    Slice the mozzarella about the same thickness.
  3. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper and lay the mozzarella on top. (You may have to cut some of the cheese slices in half.) Drizzle with a little more olive oil and broil until the cheese is bubbling and browned, about 5 minutes.
  4. Strip about 1/2 cup leaves from the basil sprigs.
  5. Remove from the broiler and drizzle with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Garnish with the basil and serve.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

Broiled Blue Cheese Peaches Substitute 4 large peaches for the tomatoes; halve them through the stem end and remove the pits. Use 8 ounces crumbled blue cheese (about 2 cups) instead of the mozzarella. Broil the peach halves cut side down until the skin softens, about 5 minutes. Then turn them and proceed with the recipe from Step 2.

Broiled Tomato Rarebit (Without the Bread) Substitute grated cheddar cheese (about 3 cups) for the mozzarella, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives for the basil, and malt or cider vinegar for the balsamic.