To a small pot over medium heat, add the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and give it a good stir.

Once the mixture just starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to slowly simmer until it’s reduced by half, about 10 minutes, while stirring every other minute or so to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

As the balsamic glaze simmers, arrange the mozzarella and tomato slices on a small serving platter or a salad plate by laying one mozzarella slice down, then overlapping a slice of tomato, repeating until the entire plate is filled with the alternating slices. If the middle of the plate is empty, simply add a 2-3 slices of the tomato/mozzarella to fill the empty space.

Tear the basil leaves into 2-4 pieces (depending on the size of the leaves) and nestle them in between the slices, as well as lay a few pieces on top of the slices.

After 10 minutes, immediately pour the glaze into a heat-safe serving bowl and allow the glaze too cool for about 5-8 minutes. If the glaze is still a little runny when you pull it from the heat, don’t worry, it will thicken as it cools!

If you are eating the caprese salad immediately, drizzle the evoo over the entire plate, then the balsamic glaze. Then sprinkle pinches of the flaky sea salt to finish. If the salad will not be eaten immediately, wait to complete these last few steps until just before serving.

Serve with extra balsamic glaze, basil leaves, evoo and flaky sea salt to use as needed.