All the flavors of a caprese salad delivered in handheld wonton cups
Being on the road this year and having lived in a loft apartment for the past four summers, I have missed having a garden, no matter how small. There’s nothing quite like walking into your garden, finding a ripe tomato, and eating it straight off the vine. Warm, sweet, savory- it’s a culinary delight.
With a piece of produce this beautiful, I am not wont to make great changes to it when I cook. Tomatoes deserve to be front and center at this time of year, but I also like the challenge of presenting this piece of produce in a new way. I’ve made several salads with few ingredients and tomatoes as the star.
Ripe tomatoes = caprese
As I reviewed my previous salads, I thought about caprese salad. Although I have published a recipe for Peach Caprese Salad, I have yet to publish a classic caprese. Of course, was that really needed? I decided it wasn’t. What was needed was a spin on the classic caprese.
Would there be a way to transform a classic caprese salad into an appetizer? Anything served in snack format naturally is much yummier. The next decision was how to format a salad into a snack, and that’s where the fun begins for me.
Serving salad as a snack. . .
My initial pondering was what to use as a delivery vehicle. I considered making caprese pockets, but I didn’t want a lot of breading/dough hiding all of the flavors, which is why I opted for a cup. Just enough material to hold the caprese filling but not enough to diminish flavors. From there it was an easy step to transform the basil into a pesto and then add the regular ingredients of tomato and mozzarella.
This is a simple and delightful recipe, in my opinion. Albeit a little bit messy, it’s a nice variation of classic caprese served in handheld wonton cups. Enjoy!
Fresh Caprese Cups
Ingredients
- 12 wonton wrappers
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt & pepper
- 12 small slices fresh mozzarella
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425°F.
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Combine basil, garlic, walnuts, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in a food processor.
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Process on high, scraping sides as needed, until you have a slightly chunky paste.
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Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and mix; set aside.
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Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
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Press one wrap in each cup. (Be sure to push them against the bottom and sides of each wrapper to form cups.)
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Lightly spray wontons with nonstick cooking spray.
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Bake for 3 minutes.
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Remove from oven, and fill each cup with 1 teaspoon pesto and a slice of mozzarella.
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Bake for 5 more minutes.
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Remove from oven, and top with diced tomatoes.
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Serve at once.
Notes
