Prep Time: 30 min.
Remind the kids who’s coming to town with this joyful and festive Santa mozzarella, tomato and basil caprese. He works well as a side salad any day in December or a fun Christmas party appetizer with toasted crostini. Either way, I'm sure he won’t be the only one smiling.
Ingredients
- tomatoes
- mozzarella
- ham slices
- black olives
- basil
- olive oil
- balsamic glaze
- sea salt
- medium round cookie cutter
- metal straw
Instructions
1. Slice the tomatoes and the mozzarella.
2. Use the round cutter to shape the mozzarella discs (if you want uniform discs, but this is not necessary).
3. Arrange the first piece of mozzarella for the top of the hat.
4. Then, place the tomato slices for the red part of the hat. I did 2 in the first row, then 3, then 5.
5. Now, fold two pieces of ham to resemble the face.
6. Make a row of mozzarella discs underneath the hat and around the ham for the beard.
7. Halve a mozzarella disc to make a mustache.
8. Slice the tip of two olives for the pupils. Shape the white part of the eyes with a small round cookie cutter, and for the highlight, you can use a metal straw.
9. Place an end piece of tomato on the face for the nose.
10. Depending on the size of your board, you can make Santa’s suit as I've done using tomatoes.
11. Line the space between the suit and Santa’s beard with basil.
12. Use an olive to make Santa’s smile.
13. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of sea salt to serve.
Notes
Chop any leftovers to make a mini salad or top it on pizza or pasta.
The round cookie cutter (which is part of a set) and the metal straws I use are linked in my Shop.
