Description
A festive and visually stunning Caprese Christmas Wreath salad featuring fresh basil, baby bocconcini, and cherry tomatoes arranged beautifully and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and optional balsamic glaze for a holiday appetizer.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 bunch basil
- 100 g baby bocconcini balls
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt flakes to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Balsamic glaze (optional, to serve)
Instructions
- Prepare the Platter: Choose a large, white platter for attractive presentation and maximum visual effect.
- Wash and Dry Basil: Gently wash and carefully dry the basil to avoid bruising the leaves.
- Arrange Basil: Remove the basil leaves from the stems and arrange them decoratively around the edge of the platter.
- Add Tomatoes and Bocconcini: Place the cherry tomatoes and baby bocconcini balls evenly on top of the basil leaves around the platter.
- Optional Advance Preparation: The salad can be prepared slightly in advance; if refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving.
- Final Seasoning: If preparing ahead, hold off seasoning with salt, pepper, and olive oil until just before serving.
- Serve: Right before serving, season the salad with sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Optionally, add balsamic glaze for extra flavor.
Notes
- Handle fresh basil gently as it bruises easily.
- Bocconcini are small fresh mozzarella balls commonly found in the refrigerator section; size varies, but this recipe uses cherry-sized bocconcini measured by weight.
- Adjust olive oil quantity if your tablespoon size differs; Australian tablespoons are 20 ml, other countries often use 15 ml.
- Sea salt flakes such as Maldon provide better texture and flavor than regular salt.
- Nutritional information is estimated for four servings.
