I know some of you guys are waiting to hear what I made Chipotle Mayo for, but… Ermagherrrd. It can wait. I need to share my love for burrata cheese with the entire online world.
I mean, tomato season is on its way out the door. Don’t shoot the messenger. Just tellin’ it like it is. This is my absolute favorite way to eat tomatoes. I know I said the same thing last week. I wasn’t lying. Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart is crazy delicious. But its totally allowable to have a two-way tie, or an eight-way, or even a 17-way tie in the food world. I would say it’s encouraged even.
I know there are a lot of pictures here. And I know they all look pretty much the same. But when things are this eye-catching beautiful spectacular stunning — do any of these words do it justice? — don’t you just want to stare all day? If these were prints, I would put all seven prints in different rooms of the house, so that I could stare at this salad at any moment. Instant tummy-warming, heart-healing, mouth-watering feelings.
If you’ve never had burrata cheese, you’re definitely questioning all of my ranting and raving right now. Homegrown tomatoes in August are tough to beat, but I’m not going crazy over this salad because of the tomatoes. Burrata is the power player. The game-changer. The checkmate. The bump, set, spike!
So what exactly is burrata cheese? On the outside, it looks just like a regular hunk of fresh mozzarella. But then, when you split it open, the inside is filled with the creamiest, almost sweet, softest, milkiest mozzarella everrrrr. Like EVER, in the whole world, in your whole life, you will never taste cheese like this. Unless, of course, you go out and buy yourself a little round of burrata. The center is actually a mixture of baby mozzarella curds and fresh cream, which would explain why it’s so dang delicious.
Several years ago, I waited tables at Del Frisco’s Grille in New York City. We served a very similar salad for $18 and people buy it because it’s that good. However, you can pick up some burrata for about $4 at Trader Joe’s, or about $6 dollars at your local grocery store (although it can be hard to find!) or Italian market. And you can pick some tomatoes from your garden, and you can make three of those salads. And then you can sell them. Or share them. Or eat them yourself.
Recipe below, although, can we really call this a recipe? Slice open that cheese, slice open those tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil & balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with basil. Enjoy.
Simple Tomato & Burrata Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces burrata cheese slice each ball into quarters
- 1 pound assorted tomatoes sliced or quartered
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup small basil leaves
Instructions
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Arrange burrata and tomato slices on a serving platter or divide among 3 individuals plates. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with basil leaves. Serve.
