A fresh tomato Mozzarella, salt, heat, pop! Slathered on my toast.
Fresh tomatoes make a winter cameo in our house often in the form of juicy gems on the vine and roasting them with shallots in olive oil gives them a sauce-like quality that is both healthy and comforting. I added a bit of low moisture mozzarella as a bit of a fluke. There was just a bit left so why not see what happens? The result was this wonderful tomato caprese-meets- deconstructed pizza. You could add basil if that’s really what you’re going for. In this recipe place the mozzarella in the pan after adding the olive oil to keep it from sticking.
Roasted Tomato Caprese
Serves 4-6
9 oz cherry tomatoes on the vine
1 small shallot, sliced thin
2-3 oz low moisture mozzarella, torn into rough chunks
handful fresh thyme
olive oil
Salt & black pepper
Toast
Herbed compound butter, optional
Preheat the oven to 450f. Place the tomatoes, shallot, and thyme into a 9×13 roasting pan. Add enough olive oil to covet the bottom of the pan and add the mozzarella on top, placing it around some of the tomatoes. Add a generous grind of salt and black pepper.
Bake until the tomatoes are popping and the mozzarella is melted, bubbly, and crisp around the edges. Serve hot with toast, compound butter, and if you’re making it a breakfast affair, add a few fried eggs and avocado.
