Caprese Salad With Melon

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Big, juicy sun-ripened tomatoes are everywhere – the grocery store, the farmer’s market, and mostly on my counter.  Something about them makes you live in the moment.  Their vibrant, fiery color urges you to seize the day and make the most of what you have before summer drifts away.  Our garden is churning them out at a frenzied pace thanks to the heat and a Caprese salad is a great way to let them shine.  I love making these so much.  They are fast, easy and never fail to put on an impressive display.

Anyone can Caprese.  Even you.  The first step is to always, always have some form of mozzarella on hand.  Don’t stick to the traditional round slices, either.  Try something new, like burrata, or Ciliegine, the mini mozzarella balls that they sell in a tub of lightly salted water.  Pick some up next time you are at the store so you can be ready to Caprese at a moment notice.  And don’t limit your Caprese to tomatoes.  Any seasonal fruit that is as ripe and beautiful as your tomatoes deserves a chance, too.  Peaches, nectarines, plums, even a berry here and there.  Or, you can use a fruit that’s not quite ripe, as was the case with my melon here.  Some of it went into the freezer for slushies, and the rest got thinly sliced for this salad.  Lightly salted and nestled among the tomatoes, it was a good save.  Grab your best olive oil and be generous.  Summer on.

Caprese Salad With Melon

• ripe tomatoes
• thinly sliced cantaloupe
• 1 – 8 ounce container Ciliegine
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• balsamic glaze
• fresh basil

Slice tomatoes and arrange on plate with cantaloupe slices.  Using a slotted spoon, remove Ciliegine from water and add to plate with tomatoes and cantaloupe.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, finishing with balsamic glaze, if desired.  Top with fresh basil.