caprese avocado salad

i've always wanted to have a little garden out back. i would go and pick fresh basil and tomatoes, and then come inside and whip up a delicious little salad for dinner. finally having a space of our own, this little dream of mine is totally doable. with all the craziness of moving and renovating right now, though, the prospect of producing a flourishing garden is daunting ... and nearly impossible. i have no idea where to begin! but my goal is to learn. maybe next summer.

in the meantime, i've been hitting up the farmer's market bringing home fresh tomatoes and basil. here is a recipe for the classic caprese salad with a little twist. it's super easy, but looks super fancy, making it great salad to take to a dinner gathering.

caprese avocado salad

ingredients:

• 1 large tomato
• 1 8-oz block of mozzarella cheese
• 1 large, ripe hall avocado
• basil
• balsamic glaze
• sea salt

make sure the avocado is very ripe. it should be soft to the touch. wash and dry the tomato and avocado. using a knife, carefully cut the thin layer of skin off the avocado. laying the avocado on its side, cut it into disks. when you get to the center you will have to remove the pit before you continue cutting. next, slice the tomato and mozzarella into disks, as well. on a plate, layer the tomato, mozzarella, avocado, and basil in a circular motion until the plate is fully covered. squeeze the balsamic glaze over the top and sprinkle a light layer of sea salt. 

if you can't find a balsamic glaze in the grocery store, you can use a balsamic reduction prepared on the stove.

fall is almost here [hooray!!] so make this salad for one last, final taste of summer! enjoy!