Cucina Archive · Antipasto
Caprese Bites with Red Wine Vinaigrette Pearls
Cherry tomatoes halved and hollowed into cups, basil and bocconcini inside, and red wine vinaigrette set into pearls over the top. Caprese taken apart and put back together one mouthful at a time.
C12 · Partial record · yields Not recorded. The plate photographed holds about thirty
Formula
| Cherry tomatoes | halved across, hollowed | |
|---|---|---|
| Bocconcini | cut to fit the cup | |
| Fresh basil | torn, a piece to each | |
| Salt | for draining the shells |
| Red wine vinaigrette | the liquid to be set | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting agent | not recorded, see open questions | |
| Neutral oil | chilled hard, if using the agar route |
Method
The pearls
Chill a tall glass of neutral oil in the freezer until it is properly cold. This is what sets the drops, so it cannot be merely cool.
Warm the vinaigrette with the setting agent until it dissolves, then let it come down to just above setting point.
Drop it into the cold oil a drop at a time from a pipette or a squeeze bottle. The drops set into spheres on the way down.
Strain the pearls out, rinse the oil off gently in cold water, and keep them cold.
The tomatoes
Halve the cherry tomatoes across the equator, not pole to pole, so each half sits flat and holds like a cup.
Hollow out the seeds and pulp with a small spoon.
Salt the shells lightly and leave them upside down to drain. A wet cup makes for a slack bite.
To assemble
Tear basil rather than cutting it, and put a piece in each shell.
Set a piece of bocconcini on the basil, cut to sit proud of the rim.
Spoon the pearls over the top and serve cold.
Notes
Halved across rather than lengthways is what makes this work. Cut pole to pole and the halves roll and empty themselves onto the plate.
Draining the hollowed shells matters more than it sounds. Tomato water pools in the bottom of the cup, loosens the basil and thins the vinaigrette.
The pearls go on last and stay cold. They are a set gel, and they slump if they sit in a warm kitchen or under a light.
Basil torn, not chiffonaded. Cut edges blacken at the bruise within the hour, and these are assembled ahead.