Starters
Caprese Crostini
The thing I make when people are already in the apartment and I have said nothing about food yet.
Prep
10 min
Cook
5 min
Serves
6 as a starter
Level
Easy
Ingredients
1 — baguette, sliced on the bias
3 tbsp — pesto (jarred is fine, I am not watching)
6 slices — prosciutto, torn in half
3 — large tomatoes, thickly sliced
2 balls — fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 tbsp — olive oil
1 tbsp — balsamic glaze
flaky salt and black pepper
This is assembly, not cooking, and I will not be pretending otherwise. It takes about eight minutes and people talk about it like you did something.
The only rule is that the tomatoes have to be good. In February this is a sad plate. In August it is the best thing on the table.
Method
Toast the baguette slices under the broiler until just golden at the edges. Watch them — they go from pale to ruined in about forty seconds.
Spread each slice with a thin layer of pesto while still warm.
Lay a torn piece of prosciutto over the pesto, then a slice of tomato, then a slice of mozzarella.
Drizzle with olive oil, then zigzag the balsamic glaze over the whole tray at once rather than one by one.
Finish with flaky salt and a lot of black pepper. Serve immediately, or watch the bread go soft and learn a lesson.
A note
Salt the tomato slices on a paper towel for ten minutes first if yours are very juicy. Soggy bread is the only way this fails.
Good to know
More About This Recipe
Nutrition
Calories
210 kcal
Protein
8g
Carbs
16g
Fat
13g
Tips & tricks
Salt the tomato slices on paper towel for ten minutes before building — it draws out liquid that would otherwise turn the bread soggy within minutes.
Toast the bread close to the assembly step, not earlier — bread cooled too long crisps unevenly once it hits the warm topping.
Zigzag the balsamic glaze over the whole tray at once rather than slice by slice — faster, and it looks more deliberate.
Substitutions
Prosciutto
Leave it out entirely for a vegetarian version — nobody will ask where it went if the tomatoes are good.
Fresh mozzarella
Burrata, torn rather than sliced, if you want something richer.
Balsamic glaze
A reduction of balsamic vinegar simmered down by half, if the bottled glaze reads too sweet.
Pairs well with
Cold and dry enough to cut through the mozzarella and prosciutto together.
The classic bitter-and-bubbly match for tomato and basil.
Storage & leftovers
These are best eaten fresh. The bread goes soft within about twenty minutes once it's topped, so assemble just before serving rather than building a batch ahead. The components — toasted bread, sliced tomato, mozzarella — will keep separately in the fridge for a day if you need to prep in advance.
Questions people ask
Can I make these ahead for a party?
What if my tomatoes aren't great?
Can I use a different bread?
Postcards from my kitchen
Made this one?
Tell me how it went, or what you did differently. The best changes to these recipes have come from readers.