I love serving antipasto when we have guests over, but sometimes the delivery is challenging. If you don’t give people something they can easily eat standing up, they won’t always take it.

This is the perfect time of year to be using late summer ingredients like basil and tomatoes. This weekend, I threw together my own twist on caprese bites. These were a huge hit at our gathering and every single one was eaten!

INGREDIENTS:

Cherry or grape tomatoes of your choice, halved

Mozzarella pearls (although you could cut up fresh mozzarella if you can’t find them in balls)

Pesto

Olive oil of your choice

Balsamic vinegar of your choice

A handful of fresh basil leaves

Toothpicks

An hour or two before you begin assembling the caprese bites, drain your mozzarella pearls and marinade them in a bowl of pesto and olive oil. I used Rockland’s own Fiore’s Organic Herbs de Provence olive oil, which has a lovely flavor. I also sprinkled mine with a little salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, douse your cherry tomatoes in balsamic vinegar and lightly toss to coat. Let them sit, as well. I used a Sicilian Lemon white balsamic from Fiore. I liked the effect of the clear balsamic (not discoloring my orange grape tomatoes) and the lemon flavor was perfection!

When you have about 20 minutes to devote to assembly, begin:

• Spear half of a cherry tomato on the toothpick.
• Follow that with a mozzarella ball and a small piece of basil.
• Then cap it off with one more tomato half.

That’s it…you are done. Arrange on a pretty plate and wait for your guests to devour them!

My five-year-old totally got in on the action, as well. I gave him a small plate of ingredients (minus the pesto) and he assembled and ate his own caprese bites while I worked. He absolutely loved them.

This is a fresh, enticing little summer appetizer your guests are sure to love…and so easy!