Recipe: Restaurant Persijn’s mind-blowing caprese
Caprese salad—who doesn’t know it? This classic from Italian cuisine is the perfect combination of soft cheese, juicy tomato and fresh basil. At Persijn Dutch Eatery in Amsterdam, it is served in a particularly surprising way: a tomato that turns out to be a caprese on the inside. With this recipe, you can do the same at home, and believe me: it is guaranteed to put a smile on your dining companions’ faces.
It all starts with the quality of the ingredients. Take the freshest buffalo mozzarella you can find, pick the juiciest, ripest tomatoes from the produce section and choose fresh, colourful basil.
How to make Persijn’s caprese
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Remove the stem from the tomato, set it aside and cut a cross into the top of the tomato.
Hold the tomato in the boiling water for about 10 seconds, then cool it in ice water. By ‘plicing’ the tomato, the skin comes loose. Boil the stem for about 10 seconds as well, so it becomes beautifully green. Then cool it in ice water too.
Peel the tomato, cut off the bottom and hollow out the tomato with a Parisienne scoop.
Pick the basil leaves and set 20 grams aside.
Use the rest of the basil to make oil (tip: if possible, make the oil a day in advance): put the rapeseed oil in a blender, add the basil and spinach and blend with a little salt. Blend until the oil becomes slightly warmer, pour the mixture into a coffee filter and leave it to drain overnight in the refrigerator. Separate the water that has drained out from the oil.
Pick apart the mozzarella and cut the basil into ribbons—with a sharp knife, otherwise it will turn brown. Mix the mozzarella with the basil and some basil oil until it becomes deliciously creamy. Season with some pepper and salt as well.
Fill the tomato with the mozzarella mixture until it is nicely full. Sprinkle the tomato with the tomato powder.
Make a mirror of basil oil on the plate and place the tomato in it with the opening facing down. Put the stem on top of the tomato and watch your dining companions look up in amazement when they cut into the tomato.
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