Bear Sausage Caprese Salad

By Jameson Curtis

 Using the meat from my Pennsylvania black bear, I had a local wild game processor make some italian sausage with the meat.

Ingredients

3 Italian bear sausage links

6 cherry tomatoes

12 basil leaves

1 (16 ounce) package fresh Mozzarella cheese

1 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp brown sugar or

2 tbsp balsamic glaze

You can make your own balsamic reduction or buy a balsamic glaze. For the reduction, pour the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium to medium low heat. Let the balsamic reduce for ten or so minutes. When the reduction starts to thicken remove from the heat. Grill the sausage on medium until thoroughly cooked through and internally shows no sign of pink uncooked meat. Remove from the grill and let cool a few minutes before cutting. Slice the links into chunks about an inch long. Slice the mozzarella into bit size pieces and cut the tomatoes in half. Stack the ingredients as desired and use toothpicks to hold together. Drizzle glaze over salad and serve.