Roasted Caprese with Burrata Cheese
Such a delicious way to pair seasonally ripe tomatoes with creamy burrata cheese! Tangy, sweet and creamy all at once!
I just recently discovered Burrata cheese! For years, I had avoided any white slimy-looking balls of white cheese floating in water as I had encountered too many of that variety in the Middle East that were “goaty” in flavor and absolutely off-putting - at least to my taste.
One such incident occurred when our family was enjoying a magnificent Blue Cruise, off the coast of southwest Turkey. Being family and the only ones on the smallish fishing boat, called a “gullet”, we conducted various “Survivor” type challenges, including one that involved eating the most disgusting things that we could concoct. One sampling was of a particularly strong slice of just such a white, slimy-looking cheese on top of a sweet cookie with an equally strong smelling piece of unidentified sausage with a cherry on top. We just simply used our noses in selecting the ingredients to this unctuous sampling. And that cheese looked very much like Burrata - thus my hesitation in tasting any similar during the next many years of my life.
However, when this recipe was recently set in front of me for dinner with the glittering, roasted tomatoes surrounding it like a wreath, I dug in and discovered the delightful, creamy texture of the interior, which spread smoothly on crunchy toast,. Topped with the roasted tomatoes and garlic I assumed even if I didn’t like the cheese, there were other things to disguise it’s taste. What a revelation! It was love at first bite and now I prepare it several times a month with the luscious fresh tomatoes and basil from my garden. The Burrata I eagerly grab from the deli section of the grocery store with no hesitation - not even taking the time to give it a judgmental sniff!
ROASTED CAPRESE SALAD WITH BURRATA
1 pound cherry, grape, sungold, or other small tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 large burrata cheese or 2 - 3 smaller balls, packed in water, 8 ounces
8 - 10 large basil leaves, cut into thin strips, chiffonade style
Top of 1 large basil stem with leaves
8 - 10, 1/2 inch slices of a crusty loaf of bread, such as French or Italian, cut diagonally
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and remove stems from tomatoes. Place in a glass baking dish so that the tomatoes are not layered on top of one another, then add oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and garlic cloves. Toss ingredients together in baking dish.
-Place in oven and bake for about 12 minutes, stirring once halfway through the baking time. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Remove garlic cloves from tomatoes and mash and dice roughly. Set aside. Stir basil strips into tomatoes.
-Brush slices of bread on each side with olive oil and place on baking tray. Place in oven and toast for about 10 minutes, until crusty and golden around the edges of each piece. Remove from oven and set aside.
-On an open flat serving platter, place the burrata in the center and spoon the tomato mixture around the cheese. Place the mashed garlic on top of the burrata and garnish with large cluster of basil leaves. Sprinkle the entire platter with a bit more olive oil and freshly grated black pepper.
-Serve chilled or at room temperature. Serves 4 - 6
Roast tomatoes, spices and garlic in baking dish.
Top a crusty slice of bread with the creamy burrata and tangy-sweet tomatoes for an explosion of textures and flavor!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
*You can use whole flavorful larger tomatoes for this recipe. Just cut them into mouth sized chunks and proceed with the recipe above.
*Burrata cheese is a softer, creamier type of Mozzarella cheese. When you cut into the center the texture is creamy and spreadable which make the perfect base for this light but richly satisfying salad. Spread the soft center of the burrata on your toasty bread and top with the tomato mixture for the most delicious results.
*Roasting vegetables, and in this case, the tomatoes, brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetable which contrasts with the tanginess of the fruit. You could serve this as a cold salad, without roasting the tomatoes but using all the other ingredients, but you miss out on the delightful contrast between tangy and sweet.
