Winter Caprese

During the cold days of winter, I love being able to share food that’s bright and seasonal with friends. This dish, a winter Caprese, combines the typical ingredients of a summer Caprese salad—tomatoes and mozzarella—but changes the way the tomatoes are prepared. Oven roasting the tomatoes with garlic- and herb-scented olive oil creates a savory tomato jam of sorts, perfect with fresh mozzarella and toast.

Instead of fresh-off-the-vine heirlooms, we start this winter Caprese with cherry tomatoes. Around the country, greenhouse growers provide cherry tomatoes year-round. I know I can support local farmers, even when inches of snow are piled up outside.

Aside from olive oil, salt and pepper, there are only two other roasting elements to flavor the tomatoes: fresh thyme and garlic. 

While a summer salad relies on basil for floral notes, this Caprese gains a woodsy flavor from the sprigs of thyme. I made slight changes to a recipe by Adam Rappaport in the November 2017 issue of Bon Appétit. Because I wanted a smaller batch of Caprese, I used only one pint of cherry tomatoes. Next, I increased the ratio of fresh thyme that the tomatoes baked with. I also quartered the smashed garlic cloves before putting the tomato mixture into the oven so that the finished dish would have smaller bits of golden garlic flavor.

Oven transformation

Besides having so few ingredients, this recipe is a keeper because the dish needs so little attention. After I assembled the tomato mixture and bathed it in a bit of olive oil, the oven did its magic. As my batch of tomatoes baked,  our house filled with the scent of roasting garlic and thyme. When I pulled the pan from the oven, the tomatoes were collapsed and concentrated in flavor.

Serving it up

The resulting jammy tomato mixture looks bright and inviting on its own.  But when combined with with fresh mozzarella balls and offered alongside toasted wheat bread, it’s scrumptious. If you wanted to make this gluten-free, you could offer a different type of baked bread or chips to go along with the Caprese.

A couple of tomatoes and some cheese atop the crunchy bread make a great combination.

We also enjoyed this dish cold a day later, spooning the tomato and mozzarella mixture along the spines of Romaine lettuce leaves. Drizzled with a tiny bit of vinegar, the crunch of the lettuce against the silkiness of the tomatoes created a lovely winter salad.

When you’re looking for an appetizer to feed gathering friends, try this winterized treat.

Winter Caprese

Dawn Dobie

A fun cold weather variation of the summer classic, winter Caprese presents cherry tomatoes with a garlic- and herb-scented olive oil, all roasted to winter perfection.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the roasted tomatoes:

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 garlic cloves smashed, peeled, and cut in quarters
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella balls
• Flaky sea salt
• Whole wheat or country-style bread brushed with olive oil, toasted in oven

Instructions

 

For roasted tomatoes:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place the tomatoes, thyme springs, and garlic pieces on the sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.
• Bake for 45 minutes, until tomatoes are collapsed and golden brown in spots.

To serve:

• Place mozzarella balls in center of serving dish. 
• Fish thyme sprigs from tomato mixture and pull leaves from stems then return roasted leaves to tomatoes. Discard stems. Spoon tomato mixture around mozzarella balls. Sprinkle with sea salt.
• Serve with toasted sliced bread.

Notes

Tomatoes can be roasted a day ahead of time. Cool, transfer to a container and cover. Refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.

Can easily be doubled or tripled.

Adapted from a recipe by Adam Rappaport in Bon Appétit (November 2017).