Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil and Fresh Mozzarella

Ingredients

• Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
• Pinch Sugar
• Pinch Salt
• Shallot, minced
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Fresh Mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and patted dry
• Fresh Basil, rough chopped

Steps

1. Toss tomatoes, sugar, and salt together in large bowl, let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Transfer tomatoes to a salad spinner and spin until most of the seeds and excess liquid have been removed, 45-60 seconds, stirring frequently to redistribute tomatoes. Return tomatoes to bowl and set aside. Strain tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Reserve 2 tbsp liquid, discard extra liquid and solids.
3. Bring reserved tomato liquid, shallot, and vinegar to simmer in small saucepan and cook until reduced to 1 tbsp, 2-3 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl, let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Whisk in oil until combined.
4. Add dressing, mozzarella, and basil to tomatoes and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Notes!

"The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook" America's Test Kitchen