I have to say, I’ve really loved every recipe this week, and all for different reasons. They’re tried and true summer recipes, perfect for cookouts, dinner parties, or even just a simple summer dinner enjoyed outside. With all of the tomatoes slowly showing up at the farmer’s markets and grocery stores, Caprese salads are what we all want to be making. When my Nonnie or mom would entertain over the summer months, there was guaranteed to be a Caprese salad served. The simple 4 to 5 ingredient salad is a favorite with just about everyone. Fresh tomatoes, basil, high-quality olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Super simple. And very often that’s great! But while I love a Caprese salad, I can sometimes find them to be lacking in excitement and flavor. So I love putting a twist on them. You know, reinvent the flavors a bit!
Here are the steps
The prosciutto is key. It adds a nice salty, crunch. Instead of crisping the prosciutto in a skillet, I prefer to bake it in the oven. I find this to be easier and the oven allows for the prosciutto to get evenly crispy all around. While the prosciutto bakes. I make a quick dressing for the tomatoes. I like to use olive oil, a good vinegar, honey, basil, salt, and pepper. For the vinegar, I use fruity champagne vinegar. But if you wanted to do something a little more traditional, balsamic is really great too. Toss the tomatoes with the dressing and then let those sit and marinate while you make the bread. For the bread, I love using ciabatta bread for this recipe, but a French-style baguette would be great too. Just make sure to cut the bread to fit on your grill. Then I rub the bread down with olive oil and grill it to get it toasted and warm. As soon as you pull the bread off the grill rub it down with a clove of garlic. This allows the garlic flavor to really seep into the bread. Tip, if your grocery store carries a loaf of headlock ciabatta it is especially delicious! The herb butter comes next. Butter, additional garlic, herbs, and chili flakes. Then I mix in some parmesan too. Once the butter is spread over the bread the bread goes back on the grill to warm. Next, take the bread off the grill, add the burrata, the parmesan cheese, and lots of fresh basil, then crumble on the prosciutto. I like to finish with additional black pepper. Then slice the bread and serve. In my mind, this is the picture-perfect summer recipe. So you can be sure I’ll be making it on repeat over the next few months! Most of you know that my family and I are in Mexico this week. We’re doing a mix of dinners in and out. Tonight we’re having dinner in and I’m excited to have everything we need to make this garlic bread. It’s simple but elevated and very delish. My family’s excited since most of them have never tried this recipe before! It’s going to be fun to share it with everyone! And of course, this is a great 4th of July appetizer too! Can’t wait to hopefully see you all making this soon! Looking for other appetizer recipes? Here are a few ideas: Peach Burrata Crostini with Burst Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette Charred Baby Bell Peppers with Burrata Charred Peppers with Marinated Feta and Tzatziki Lastly, if you make this Caprese Garlic Bread with Crispy Prosciutto, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
