Mozzarella and Roasted Cherry Tomato Salad

- Amanda

Last summer I wrote about Penne with Roasted Tomatoes and Corn, a dish I like to make every August. Cherry tomatoes respond well to roasting -- their skins caramelize and sweeten, and their pulp concentrates, so you end up with blistered tomato candy. And if you add enough olive oil to the roasting pan, the tomato juices emulsify with the oil, making for a wildly good dressing.

Sometimes, I roast cherry tomatoes and serve them over sliced fresh mozzarella, a riff on the caprese salad. It makes for a tighter, more acutely flavored version of this classic salad -- more dinner party first course, less lunch out on the deck.

Mozzarella and Roasted Cherry Tomato Salad

Serves 6

• 2 cups small yellow cherry tomatoes, rinsed
• 2 cups small red grape or cherry tomatoes, rinsed
• 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Coarse, flaky salt
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Handful small basil leaves (or torn basil leaves)
•  

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add the garlic cloves. Sprinkle over the olive oil and season with salt.

2. Roast the tomatoes until they begin to wrinkle and caramelize, and their juices release into the oil, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

3. Cut the mozzarella into 1/8-inch-thick slices and arrange, overlapping slightly, on a platter. Spoon the tomatoes and -- most importantly -- their juices and the oil, over the mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper. Drop the basil leaves on top. Gaze proudly at the gorgeous dish you've just assembled.