Guest Post: Tomato & Mozzarella Skewers with Balsamic-Basil Dipping Sauce

This guest post comes from Ray Schaefer, who along with his wife Lori recently opened Pairings Wine & Food in Winchester, MA. He's providing this pairing as part of a tasting event in support of Social Capital Inc. later today.

At Pairings we seek combinations of wine and food that enhance one-another. While great pairing is an inherently personal thing, we find a commonality in many pairings. A good example is today’s pairing of tomato and mozzarella skewers with a fresh rosé from Provence…see what you think.

Ingredients for 20:

2 handfuls fresh basil leaves

ground black pepper to season

2 tsp. capers, drained and rinsed

4 oz. mozzarella cut into 20 pieces

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

20 grape tomatoes

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Basil leaves torn into 20 pieces

3 tbsp. olive oil

20 toothpicks

Make the sauce: Put first 6 ingredients (basil through pepper) in blender and process until smooth.

Can be made and refrigerated beforehand.

Prepare skewers & serve: Skewer a tomato, piece of basil, and piece of mozzarella onto one end of a toothpick. Serve with dipping sauce.

Wine Pairing:

Chateau La Moutete Rosé Reserve 2009,

Provence, France. Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault & Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% alcohol. This salmon colored rose is a classic Provencial Rose, dry, with a beautiful nose and long on the palate. Don't let the light color fool you, this wine is delicious, with bright ripe fruit and good acidity; a good wine to drink by itself or pair with many foods, such as these tomato & mozerella skewers.