Blueberry Pesto

Fresh Mozzarella, blueberry chia jam, tomato, arugula, basil pesto on ciabatta

One day a few years ago, our Caprese sandwich—inspired by the famous Italian salad of fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil—said to our chefs, “I love who I am but I need a new look. I’m feeling...a little basic.” With much love, our chefs went to work. They kept the core of who this sandwich was—mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh-baked ciabatta, of course. But to the basil, they said, “Let’s turn you into a pesto.” Blended with parsley, garlic, and parmesan cheese, the basil delighted in its new depth of flavor. Then our chefs said, “We’re going to try something crazy and add a blueberry jam.” The classic-minded sandwich was skeptical. “Sounds too sweet,” it replied. “Trust us,” said the chefs. To balance the jam’s sweetness, they spiked it with balsamic vinegar—no stranger to the Caprese salad. And in a stroke of genius, the chefs naturally thickened the jam with chia seeds to keep the sugar in check. The sandwich was thrilled with the new additions. Even better, so were our guests.