Balsamic and Basil Strawberries

     When I was in Germany, one of the things I really loved was the fresh produce, especially the sweetest, tiniest strawberries I had ever had. They must be organic. I had come to the conclusion that European strawberries were just inherently better than American ones, which are usually ridiculously large and sour.  However, on a recent trip to my local farmer's market, I realized that we have organic strawberries here too. My day was instantly made! Variations of this recipe are traditionally made with tomatoes, but strawberries work surprisingly well too.  You can have these on toast as an appetizer or even as a dessert with some fresh whipped cream.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pint of strawberries, the littler the sweeter
about 6 leaves of fresh basil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
mozzarella cheese (I used shredded, but fresh would be even better.)
either a baguette or other crusty bread (I used a regular sized loaf and cut the slices in half.)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Put the bread slices on a cookie sheet, and put the mozzarella on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese melts.

3. Wash and slice the strawberries.

4. Chop the basil leaves (or just tear them into little pieces. Put them in a bowl with the berries and drizzle the balsamic over the top. Gently mix this.

5. Plop a spoonful of berries onto each piece of cheesy toast and enjoy!

Tomorrow's recipe: Blueberry chocolate cake!