Lightly Roasted Caprese Stuffed Tomatoes
Another fancy finger food for you this week as I finish off the tomatoes and basil from last week’s Fire Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Soup. These Lightly Roasted Caprese Stuffed Tomatoes are delightful, refreshing, and I guarantee you will want to take two, since they fit perfectly in the palm of your hand.
This last week I have really struggled with my food photography lighting.
My goal for this next weekend was to really hone in a bit more to get the look I wanted and the lighting right. However, I didn't have time to wait until the weekend to shoot these stuffed tomatoes. I did after all, mention that I bought the basil last week.
I had to use it and shoot it before it had shriveled up into nothing.
As luck would have it, I received an email in my inbox this morning from the foodphotographyblog.com, informing me that in Christina’s latest blog post she shared how she setups up her Easy Artificial Backlighting For Your Food Photos. Since I was shooting straight-on shots of the caprese stuffed tomatoes today, this seemed like the perfect time to try it out. I actually really like the way the background just fell away, and all you see are the crisp, colored ingredients. That will definitely be a new setup to put in the mix and play with.
I am also so happy that I got that melted cheese look I wanted.
Cheese can be finicky, but I think it looks melty, gooey, and delicious! And it was delicious, by the way! I definitely snuck in a few tastes as I readjusted the stuffed tomatoes. As for the flat lay, I definitely have some more work to do. Or perhaps, the drizzle of the balsamic on my caprese stuffed tomatoes needs a lot more work. Try as I might to get that balsamic vinegar to reduce and thicken, it just didn't want to turn into a glaze for me.
So, instead we have drops.
Regardless of drops or beautiful, glazed drizzles, it still tastes amazing! It's incredible how buffalo mozzarella tastes so different than the regular mozzarella I'm used to. This is much richer, and so good! My sister actually suggested I use this mozzarella this week, so I have to say thank you to her. I was planning on just roasting the tomatoes and basil with some spices. Clearly the cheese was a must have!
Okay, so there you have it.
Rich, melty cheese, sandwiched between freshly chopped basil, and stuffed inside lightly roasted tomatoes. All fresh ingredients, and all making me hungry again as I look at the pictures. Yeah, I am definitely going to go snack on another stuffed tomato. Enjoy!
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Additional Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 40 mins
Ingredients
8 Medium Roma Tomatoes
8oz Buffalo Mozzarella
Fresh Basil (8-12 leaves up to as much basil as you can handle)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Oil for Brushing
Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
Basil
Chop basil, and set aside
Tomato
Cut tomatoes in half horizontally.
Scoop out tomato insides with a grapefruit spoon or knife.
Brush a small amount of olive oil on inside of tomato halves (you can also use your finger).
Season with salt and pepper.
Place each tomato half, insides facing up on a oiled/sprayed pan and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Remove tomatoes.
Add a few pinches (or more) of chopped basil inside the tomato.
Stuff 1oz of Buffalo Mozzarella inside each tomato half
Place stuffed tomatoes back in over for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove from oven.
Sprinkle with some more fresh basil and ground pepper.
Drizzle with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Notes
These are meant to only be lightly roasted, so that you can eat them more easily.
To thicken the balsamic, you can place in a pot on low heat and simmer until half the amount has evaporated.
If you are on a keto diet, you can get a higher fat mozzarella or double the amount.
