Burrata with Heirloom Tomatoes
Creamy burrata surrounded by ripe tomatoes with basil and aged balsamic
- 1burrata(8 oz, room temperature)
- 2heirloom tomatoes(mixed colors, sliced)
- 1 cupcherry tomatoes(halved)
- 0.25 cupfresh basil leaves(torn)
- 3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil(best quality)
- 1 tbspaged balsamic vinegar
- flaky sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- crusty bread(for serving)
This must be assembled and served immediately. Burrata should be room temperature.
- 1Arrange tomato slices on platter
- 2Place burrata in center
- 3Scatter cherry tomatoes and basil around cheese
- 4Drizzle generously with olive oil
- 5Drizzle balsamic over tomatoes
- 6Season everything with flaky salt and pepper
- 7Serve with crusty bread
- 8Cut into burrata at the table to release the creamy center
Burrata must be at room temperature - cold masks its flavor. Use the best tomatoes you can find; this dish depends on perfect ingredients. Cut into the burrata at the table for dramatic effect. Quality olive oil and aged balsamic make the difference. Simple is best here.
Burrata is among the youngest of Italy's great cheeses, invented in the early 20th century in the town of Andria in the Murgia plateau of Puglia, southern Italy. Multiple authoritative sources including Wikipedia and Italy Segreta attribute the creation to Lorenzo Bianchino, a dairy farmer at the Piana Padula farm, who is said to have invented burrata during a heavy snowfall that left him unable to transport fresh milk and mozzarella to market. Rather than let the dairy products spoil, he used the mozzarella scraps and cream as filling inside a fresh mozzarella pouch — tied like a balloon — creating a new cheese in the tradition of Italian cucina povera, the art of making something excellent from leftover or humble ingredients. The name burrata comes from the Italian burro, meaning butter, a reference to its rich, creamy interior. The cheese spread beyond Andria beginning in the 1950s when local cheese factories began producing it commercially, and it remained largely unknown outside Puglia until the 1990s and 2000s, when Italian-American restaurants began featuring it. In November 2016, burrata di Andria received Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certification from the European Union. Served with heirloom tomatoes and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, burrata becomes the expression of the Italian principle that great ingredients require almost nothing added.