caprece cupcake

Oh here I go again with cupcakes. If you think that cupcakes are just a fad or are plain sick and tired of them, It's ok...I do understand. But come on...what is there not to love about little bites of joy. I love them because they are perfectly sized...and you don't feel like a glutton after eating one. Now, if you eat more than one, that is a whole new tale to tell. But there is no doubt about it, the cupcake train is still rolling and plenty are hopping aboard.
One day, I was pondering the deep concept of cupcakes, and I thought to myself: Can I have cupcakes all day? What I mean is: Could I make a cupcake for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert? Well, of course I can. So without much further adieu, I present to you
CUPCAKEPALOOZA! A series dedicated solely to the love of cupcakes and the endless inspiration they provide.
Today's first entry to CUPCAKEPALOOZA is the Capece Cupcake. Caprece salad is a much loved dish by many. Tomatoes are just fading on the vines now, so run out and pick them right away. Caprece is easy...it involves a few key ingredients: Tomatoes, mozzarella,and basil. Anything else is just frosting on top (he he he). For this presentation I made some crostini with baguette slice that were drizzled with a bit of olive oil infused with garlic. I topped the bread off with Parmesan cheese and toasted them in the oven at 350 degrees for ten minutes.
I chose to use Roma tomatoes because when sliced, they were just about the same size as the mozzarella. You can also cut the mozzarella with a biscuit cutter if it is too large. The drizzle is a basalmic syrup, that packs a sweet little punch at the end. Enjoy. CAPRECE CUPCAKE
printable version
4 vine ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 package cocktail tomatoes
1 package fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 bunch basil
2 tablespoons pesto
1 package cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup basalmic vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
toothpicks

Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each. In a bowl, combine the pesto and the cream cheese and cream with a hand mixer. Scoop cream into a pastry bag with a star tip. Place a toothpick in each stack and top off with a cherry tomato. Pipe the cream cheese onto each stack. In a saucepan, combine sugar and vinegar and simmer until thickens. Drizzle over Caprece cupcakes.