In 2010, my husband and I traveled to Italy with friends who had lived there for quite a few years. We let them plan the itinerary as we had no idea which were the best places to visit, and they had years of first-hand experience.
One afternoon, we found ourselves in a fairly deserted restaurant overlooking the Bay of Naples. The server paid us a lot of attention! We let him order for us, and the result was an enormous platter of pasta in tomato sauce, with fresh lobster (and lobster roe for my husband) and mounds of cheese I initially thought was mozzarella.
It was wonderful and incredibly rich. I knew the cheese was different from mozzarella, but I didn’t know what it was.
Our waiter shared with us that the cheese that distinguished our pasta that sparkling day in Capri was burrata. And he swore the lobster was so fresh it was swimming offshore that morning.
I have since learned a couple of things about burrata cheese.
- Burrata originated in the region of Puglia, which was my father’s birthplace. Puglia is in southern Italy on the eastern side of the “boot.”
- It was introduced to America in 1996 at a restaurant in Los Angeles (where it was made onsite) and later found its way to New York City.
- Apparently, it was not initially well received by the dining public. Today, it appears frequently on contemporary restaurant menus and is widely available in grocery stores.
Burrata is a thin, spherical shell of fresh mozzarella cheese that encases what Italians call “stracciatella” or “little rags.” Stracciatella is simply shreds of mozzarella soaked in heavy cream. It’s the surprise that awaits when you cut into what appears to be an ordinary ball of fresh mozzarella.
For years, I have been making a tomato and baked ricotta cheese appetizer garnished with toasted pine nuts, fresh basil and lots of olive oil. Served with crostini, it has always been a hit with guests—and so easy to make. I decided to substitute fresh burrata cheese for the ricotta: no baking required and something definitely different.
Burrata Cheese Appetizer with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pints red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (a mix of red and yellow is nice)
- 2 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 ounces burrata cheese (Bel Gioioso makes a readily available product in grocery stores.)
- Crostini made from an Italian or French baguette
- Optional: toasted pine nuts to sprinkle on top
- Optional: capers to mix in with the tomatoes
Directions
- Put the ¼ cup olive oil in a medium skillet and warm gently over medium heat.
- When the oil is warm and slightly shimmering, pour in the cherry tomatoes and stir gently to cover with the oil. Add the smashed garlic cloves.
- Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the tomatoes are soft and the juices are “syrup-y.” Then remove from the heat and remove the garlic cloves.
- If you happen to like capers, add a ¼ cup to the cherry mixture.
- Drain the room-temperature burrata cheese from its container, pat it gently with a paper towel to dry. Place the cheese on a pretty round platter.
- Gently spoon the cooked cherry tomatoes all around the cheese.
- Sprinkle chopped basil over the whole dish along with toasted pine nuts, if you like them.
- Serve the appetizer with your favorite crostini or even plain baguette slices if you are short on time.
Summer is upon us. If you have a porch or deck or patio, take this colorful appetizer outside to your family or friends with a chilled bottle of Prosecco or white wine. I think it could become your go-to starter for a special meal. Tell everyone you have discovered burrata and are dreaming of Capri!
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