Caprese Salad

1. 1Take the mozzarella and tomatoes out of the fridge at least 30 minutes ahead. Cold mozzarella is squeaky and tastes of almost nothing; at room temperature it turns soft and milky.
2. 2Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella to roughly the same thickness, about 1 cm, using your sharpest knife. A blunt knife crushes ripe tomato and tears mozzarella.
3. 3Sit the mozzarella slices on kitchen paper for a couple of minutes to shed excess whey, or it will pool on the plate and dilute the oil.
4. 4Arrange the slices on a platter in overlapping alternating rows, tucking whole basil leaves between them. Leave the basil whole — chopping or tearing it bruises the leaves and turns the edges black within minutes.
5. 5Season the tomato slices specifically, rather than the plate as a whole. Salt draws out their juice, which mixes with the oil into the only dressing this needs.
6. 6Drizzle generously with olive oil, grind over black pepper, and serve within about 15 minutes while everything is still at its best.

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