Bocconcini & Pickled Cherry Skewers
Bite-size bocconcini (mozzarella balls) and quick-pickled fruit make perfect hors d’oeuvres to serve with cocktails. You’ll need about two dozen 4- or 5-inch bamboo skewers for this recipe. Plan ahead to make the pickled cherries, as they’ll need to sit in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before use.
Ingredients
PICKLED CHERRIES
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 strips orange zest
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 pound red cherries
SKEWERS
- 1 pint bocconcini mozzarella 1-ounce balls
- ¼ pound thinly sliced prosciutto
- 24 medium-size fresh basil leaves washed
- 24 ½- inch-thick toasted baguette slices
Instructions
- PICKLED CHERRIES: In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, orange zest, cinnamon, mustard seed, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- While pickling liquid comes to a boil, de-stem and pit cherries (keep whole) using an olive or cherry pitter. Do this over a bowl to catch juices. Discard pits and combine collected juice and cherries in a glass or ceramic jar or bowl.
- When liquid comes to a boil, pour over cherries. Let come to room temperature, then place a piece of plastic or small plate on the surface of the liquid, to keep cherries submerged. Refrigerate, storing 8 hours to 1 week.
- SKEWERS: With a slotted spoon, transfer bocconcini mozzarella from container to a plate. Using the same spoon, transfer cherries from pickling liquid to a separate plate. Cut prosciutto slices in quarters.
- Pair each pickled cherry with a piece of prosciutto and each mozzarella ball with a basil leaf. Skewer one of each set. Rest each skewer on a baguette slice and serve immediately.