Insalata Caprese

The Italians do soooo many things right!  One such amazing gift they have given us is the caprese salad. I adore these salads.  They are so tasty and can be soo beautiful.  

As I mentioned the other day, I love basil and having my own basil plant has freed me up to be able to make this beautiful salad at a moments notice, exhibit A.  

Some friends like their caprese with oil and vinegar, but I would have to disagree.  The best caprese is without oil and with a good vinegar reduction.  Luckily the vinegar reduction is a quick and easy way to really add a lot of flavor to this salad without overwhelming your palate (like the oil and vinegar do).  Just throw some balsamic vinegar in a pan and heat on the stove until it has reduced to half and "voilà" you have it!