Good Food, Good Life, 365 – Blueberry, Basil and Mozzarella Skewers

Ingredients:

• Fresh blueberries, rinsed
• Fresh mozzarella pearls, found in an 8-ounce container in the refrigerated case at your supermarket
• Fresh clean basil leaves
• Toothpicks
• Balsamic glaze, purchased in a squeeze bottle or homemade (see directions for making your own below this recipe)

Instructions:

For each skewer, slide a blueberry onto a toothpick first, then a mozzarella pearl, a basil leaf (fold in half if it’s too big), a blueberry, and end with a mozzarella pearl. Arrange the completed skewers on a serving platter. At this point, you can cover the filled platter tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to a few hours before serving. At serving time, remove the skewers from the refrigerator and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

To make your own Balsamic Glaze:

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or local honey
• Pour balsamic vinegar and sweetener of choice into a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow mixture to simmer until reduced by half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool before serving.
• Store in a tightly sealed bottle or jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for months.

Sue’s tips:

When cherry tomatoes are fresh from the garden, replace the first blueberry you put on the toothpick with a cherry tomato. The flavor combination is delightful!

When you’re feeling like stretching your taste buds out of their comfort zone, replace fresh basil leaves with fresh mint or even fresh lemon basil or lemon balm.