I first wrote about burrata in 2014 out of “concern” that the world (or at least the people who read Riegl Palate) weren’t aware of the wonders of this simple cheese. As sad as this may sound we had some friends for dinner on Saturday night and two of the three of them had still never heard of it and the third I’d introduced to burrata just last fall. I realized that I needed to step up my campaign.

Burrata is a fresh mozzarella ball filled with cream. So wherever you might use mozzarella, you may be able to substitute burrata. Given the plethora of fresh tomatoes at this time of year, I decided to make a simple Caprese salad but instead of using the traditional mozzarella I used burrata in its place. The consistency of burrata once you cut into it is much more creamy than mozzarella so it’s easier to tear it apart into nice sized chunks than to slice.

A traditional Caprese salad is made with red tomatoes, mozzarella and basil – the colors of the Italian flag. Here I used mostly yellow tomatoes, plus a few red cherry tomatoes for contrast, that were a gift from our friends Embry and Chris H’s garden. I added to it the torn burrata, freshly chopped basil, a drizzle of both quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic syrup (regular balsamic vinegar works, too) and a hearty sprinkling of flaky sea salt (such as Maldon). It’s tasty and beautiful at the same time, plus looked great on the rooster platter that one my oldest friends, Stefanie M, gave to me.

Check out these other recipes made with this amazing cheese:  Burrata and Truffle Oil with Arugula and Burrata and Tomato Salad (made with a tomato dressing). And please help spread the word of the wonders of burrata.

Burrata Caprese Salad

 

Burrata Caprese Salad
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Recipe type: Salad
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 6 medium-sized tomatoes (yellow or red) plus a handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 2 burrata balls (8 ounces), torn into pieces
  • ½ cup of loosely packed basil, cut chiffonade style or torn
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • Balsamic syrup or vinegar for drizzling (see Notes)
  • Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Instructions
  1. Using a serrated knife, slice tomatoes into rounds.
  2. Arrange tomatoes on a large platter. Place burrata and basil on top of tomatoes.
  3. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and balsamic syrup or vinegar. Finish with flaky sea salt.
  4. Serve immediately.
Notes
* Balsamic vinegar glaze can be found in the vinegar section at many supermarkets. If unavailable, boil ¾ cup balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 7 minutes.
* Recipe can be doubled or tripled when serving a larger crowd.
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