We’ve all seen mozzarella and tomatoes before. The winning combination is on just about every restaurant menu in one way or another – the traditional Caprese salad, burrata with heirloom tomatoes, bocconcini (those are the mini balls!) skewers. It’s everywhere! And that’s because it’s just that good.
This is my own take on the classic, and has become one of my go-to appetizers. Burrata is a pouch made of mozzarella, curd and cream. It comes in cute, little balls in a variety of sizes. The exterior is traditional mozzarella, while the inside is stringy, creamy stracciatella. I open it up, and top it with fresh tomatoes and tomatoes confit – slow cooked in garlic-herb oil. Serve it with plenty of crusty bread – you’ll want to sop up every last bit!
Serves 4, but has been eaten by 2!
Ingredients
- 1 eight ounce ball of burrata
- 1½ cups baby San Marzano tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), separated
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed for light garlic flavor, or finely minced for heavy garlic flavor
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- sea salt & cracked black pepper
- your choice of bread
Method
In a small sauce pan, combine the olive oil, garlic and parsley. Cover and set over low heat.
Meanwhile, halve your tomatoes. If you have baby San Marzano tomatoes, cut them lengthwise. Otherwise, just cut your cherry tomatoes in half. Set half of the cut tomatoes aside, and add the rest to the olive oil. Cover and gently simmer for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes and garlic are tender. The idea is for them to soften without getting any brown color. If you get a little bit of color, that’s okay!
While the tomatoes are cooking, warm your bread. Anything works here – toasted sourdough, crostini (pictured below), baguette. If crostini is your carb of choice, I like to brush it with a little bit of the garlic-herb oil and season with salt and pepper before toasting!
Place the burrata in your serving dish and cut a cross into just the upper half, so you’re not pushing your knife all the way through. Take the inner four corners you’ve created, and open each one out, exposing the inside of the cheese – the stracciatella! Scatter the raw and cooked tomatoes over the burrata. Spoon some of the garlic herb oil over the top. Be generous – it’s so good. You can save any remaining oil for other dishes. It’s great on pasta! Season with salt and cracked black pepper. Garnish with a little more chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
