Caprese Style Eggs

Use burrata instead of mozzarella for extra decadence. Eggs must be very fresh for best poaching results. The mozzarella slice acts as a "toast" base. Everything should be at room temperature except the just-poached eggs. Serve immediately while eggs are warm.

This preparation fuses two traditions with distinct Italian and American origins. The Caprese salad takes its name from the island of Capri in the Bay of Naples, where the combination of fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, and basil dressed with olive oil is believed to have been served at the Hotel Quisisana in the early 1950s as a dish that embodied the colors of the Italian flag. Mozzarella di bufala, made from the milk of water buffalo raised in Campania and Lazio, has been produced in southern Italy since at least the 12th century, with the first written documentation from the monastery of San Lorenzo in Capua in 1200 CE. Pesto Genovese — the basil-pine nut-olive oil sauce used in this recipe — comes from Genoa in Liguria and is documented in Italian cooking texts from at least the mid-19th century. The eggs Benedict format, in contrast, is entirely American: according to several accounts including food writer Mimi Sheraton's research, eggs Benedict was created in the 1890s at Delmonico's restaurant in New York City when a patron named Mrs. Le Grand Benedict asked for something new on the menu. This preparation borrows the plated, layered egg composition from the American brunch tradition while replacing the traditional hollandaise and Canadian bacon with Italian flavors — a characteristically American approach to Italian ingredients.