Festive Caprese Wreath

Simple, sweet, and cheesy!? You bet! This gorgeous Festive Caprese Wreath is easily prepared with hollowed-out cherry tomatoes stuffed with basil pesto and mini bocconcini. Sprinkle over some freshly ground black pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and tuck in some fresh basil leaves before serving!

Now, I have to admit, I start to develop Christmas recipes in the summer months. It might seem odd, but I absolutely love Christmas and I just might love working on Christmas recipes even more than I love the decorations and the music. My Festive Caprese Wreath was developed and photographed the first week of August.

Both the tomatoes and the basil came from my very own garden. I’m so proud of how great they look! Ha! I knew that I wanted to photograph this particular recipe earlier rather than later for that exact reason. Last summer was the first time I tried to grow basil. It grew a bit, but the colour was a very light, dull green. A friend told me that basil grows much better on its own and not in a garden bed with other herbs. They were right!

Luckily, fresh basil leaves never cost very much at most grocery stores and you can find them all year round. If I buy fresh basil from a grocery store, it usually costs about three dollars for a little bunch. If you don’t want to buy a lot of extra basil to create a wreath as you see in the photos, you can certainly just tear a few pieces over the top for presentation only.

Otherwise, you can certainly use other greens or greenery as a base for a wreath. The first thing that comes to mind is an inexpensive edible green like kale, romaine lettuce, or even swiss chard. You also have the opinion of picking up some greenery from your local florist. Just a few sprigs are all you need. Those things are always really cheap.

My Festive Caprese Wreath is the second in my 12 Edible Wreaths of Christmas Series. If you have not done so already, please join me for 12 consecutive days – yes, even Saturday and Sunday! – while I share one new edible wreath with you every day. If you cannot wait until tomorrow, you can always check out a series from Christmases past. Find the links for each series below. So, let’s just get into it!

EDIBLE WREATHS ARE THE CHARCUTERIE OF CHRISTMAS!

Charcuterie boards are everywhere these days, and it seems that there’s a theme for just about everything. With that in mind, why not create wreath-shaped charcuterie boards for Christmastime!? I started out with a few varieties in mind, but the more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea and before long, I had a list of twenty themes. Narrowing it down to 12 was hard, but I managed to put some of the themes aside until next year!

With an abundance of cherry tomatoes from our vegetable garden and a gorgeous pot of fresh basil growing on our backyard deck this summer, I put together this Festive Caprese Wreath quite quickly and easily. Everything you see in the wreath is available at most larger chain stores, which means all you have to do is assemble it. Christmastime is busy enough as it is! Putting out a nice spread for friends and family shouldn’t add to your holiday stress!

Most charcuterie boards will include thinly sliced meats and cheese too. And, you can certainly add those things to your wreath if you’re putting it out before dinner as an appetizer. But, in this case, I’m keeping these wreaths simple and very on theme.

WHAT IS CHARCUTERIE ANYWAY?

Charcuterie is a French term meaning “flesh” and “cooked.” It is a branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, and pate, etc. Originally intended as a way to preserve meat before the advent of refrigeration, they are prepared today for the flavours derived from the preservation processes.

Today, when we hear the term charcuterie, most of us immediately know that we are referring to the preparation and artful assembling of arranging items like cured meats, hard and soft cheeses, dried and fresh fruits, vegetables, and crackers or bread on a large wooden board.

Charcuterie has been popular in many parts of Europe for many, many years. In fact, there’s documented evidence of charcuterie being present in ancient Roman times. The popularity of these boards did not catch on here in North America until recently. Now, they’re everywhere! And, I’m going to show you how to make wreath-shaped charcuterie boards specifically for Christmas!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE:

The following is a list of the items needed to prepare a Festive Caprese Wreath. Please keep in mind that the amount of each ingredient needed will greatly depend on how many people you are serving. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Cherry Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes are usually slightly bigger than grape tomatoes and will fit mini bocconcini just perfectly!
• Bocconcini – These mini mozzarella balls can be found in most larger grocery stores.
• Basil Pesto – The tomatoes are stuffed with a little bit of basil pesto before the bocconcini are tucked in.
• Ground Black Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Fresh Basil Leaves

WHAT IS BOCCONCINI

Bocconcini are small mozzarella cheese balls that are usually the size of an egg. In the case of this recipe, I’m using mini bocconcini, which is similar to a grape or a cherry tomato. Like other mozzarellas, they are semi-soft, white, and rindless. It is a mild cheese that originated in Naples and was once made only from the milk of water buffalo. Nowadays, they are usually made from a combination of water buffalo and cow’s milk. Bocconcini are packaged in whey or water, have a spongy texture, and absorb flavours.

The cheese is made in the pasta filata manner by dipping curds into hot whey, and kneading, pulling, and stretching. Bocconcini made solely of water buffalo’s milk is still produced in the provinces of Naples, Caserta, and Salerno. Alternatively, the type made with whole cow’s milk is also manufactured, in which the higher liquid content, in comparison to standard mozzarella, lends them the soft consistency. Bocconcini can be bought at most supermarkets. They are often used in caprese salad, or served with pasta.

HOW TO CREATE A BASE FOR YOUR FESTIVE CAPRESE WREATH

The first thing you want to do is to source a board. The number of people you are serving and the number of items you have to place on the board, will help to determine the size you will need. You can use a cutting board, a charcuterie board, a marble slab, or an old silver-plated tray as you see in the photographs.

Next, tuck a few small bunches of fresh basil leaves around the board or platter. I did not create a whole wreath shape with the basil, because I don’t think it was needed. The visual created by using some basil leaves and allowing that silver-plated tray to show through as well, looked great to me, so that’s what I went with. Position the basil so that the leaves are pointing out from the edge of the board or tray.

The size of the wreath will be determined by how many tomatoes and bocconcini you will be piling onto it, so size the wreath accordingly. It’s always best to ensure the fresh basil leaves protrude out larger than the base of the board or tray so that the greenery is not completely covered with food. Once you’re happy with positioning those, it’s time to assemble.

PREPARING THE TOMATOES AND ASSEMBLING

Begin by washing the tomatoes well and draining the bocconcini. With a sharp knife, cut the top off of each tomato. You will need to scoop out the flesh and pulp inside each tomato. Use a strawberry huller, or a very small pair of metal tongs to do this. You can buy a strawberry huller, but you don’t need it. I use sugar cube tongs! I don’t use sugar cubes, but I use the little tongs on a charcuterie board for things like pickles!

Once the top has been cut off the tomato, gently insert the huller or the tongs into the tomato and remove the pulp and seeds. Turn the tomato upside down onto a layer of clean paper towels. Do this until all of the tomatoes are prepped. Next, set the tomatoes on the platter. To keep the tomatoes from falling over, it’s best to pack them snugly against each other. Using a slightly rimmed plate or tray is a good way to keep them all sitting up straight.

Using a small spoon, drop about a half teaspoon of basil pesto into the cavity of each tomato. Next, insert mini bocconcini into each tomato. Press down gently to ensure the bocconcini is really in there. Finally, sprinkle over the ground black pepper. You can add some salt too, if you wish, but I find that there’s enough salt in the pesto to season the tomatoes and the cheese. Drizzle over some really good olive oil just before serving.

PEPPERY DOUBLE PARMESAN PESTO

Yes, Dear Reader, you read that right! I have a Peppery Double Parmesan Pesto recipe that I love to use and you can certainly prepare some and use it in this recipe. Of course, you can use store-bought too! My homemade version has lots of ground black pepper and I always double up on the amount of parmesan. In my opinion, tomatoes and cheese are a match made in heaven, and since it’s the holiday, why not go all out!?

To increase the flavour level even more, I added a little bit of dried red chili flakes to the food processor when preparing the pesto.  The ground black pepper provided heat and warmth, while the dried red chili flakes provided heat and spice.  I balanced that heat with the saltiness and creaminess of the parmesan, as well as a little bit of lemon juice.  Delicious! The dried red chili flakes are 100% optional, of course.

MAKE IT AHEAD OF TIME

You can make this Festive Caprese Wreath earlier on the day you are serving it, however, I would not make it a day or two in advance. There is moisture on the tomatoes and the cheese, and since the cheese balls are sitting inside the tomato, you run the risk of the cheese breaking down from the acidity of the tomatoes and becoming soggy. If you do make it ahead of time, I would not recommend any longer than 8-12 hours. Cover the board well and keep refrigerated until about 20 minutes before serving.