At my house, we enjoy the year’s first asparagus with nothing but olive oil and salt. I like the Goldilocks spears—not too thick, not too thin—and I eat them with my fingers. But after a couple of these keep-it-simple encounters, I’m ready to change it up and, naturally, cheese is my go-to.
Read moreNot Done with Burrata
Photo: Mari Havens
The tomatoes are winding down in my garden (except for the never-say-die Sungolds). The calendar says summer is ending, yet I still haven’t had my fill of tomatoes with burrata. Or Greek rusks with tomato, capers and feta. Or fried green tomatoes with mozzarella. Or braised peppers, tomatoes and onions with baked goat cheese. Or tomato, watermelon and feta salad. If you feel the same, seize the moment and grab these tomato-centric recipes.
Read moreRisotto Meets Burrata
I have been making zucchini risotto forever but had never thought to plop a piece of burrata on top until I saw such a dish on Principato di Lucedio’s Instagram. This historic farm in Piemonte grows fabulous Carnaroli rice—I visited years ago—so the Lucedio Instagram is a rich source of risotto ideas. The zucchini risotto was photographed at Balin a restaurant near the farm, and the chef used stracciatella, not burrata. But stracciatella is the creamy filling inside burrata, and burrata is easier to find. It’s zucchini season. It’s cherry tomato season. What are you waiting for?
Read moreBurrata Grand Slam
© Meg Smith Photography
It’s a good thing the Clif Family’s Bruschetteria is not closer to my house or I would have to hit the rowing machine even harder. Anything served on oil-rubbed garlic toast is already a home run. If burrata’s involved, that’s a grand slam. In spring, Bruschetteria chef John McConnell tops the burrata with peas and tender roasted broccoli florets, stems and leaves. I can’t imagine a more tempting lunch or antipasto with a glass of rosé.
Read moreBaby Burrata Takes the Stage
I’m loving the new Gioia mini burrata. At four ounces—half the usual size—it’s just right for two, and that’s all the people I get to cook for these days. A whole burrata is a commitment. Once you cut into that oozy interior, you have to finish it.
A Napa Valley winery chef turned me on to the combination of burrata, tomatoes and peaches. I’d been seeing versions of this salad online, but his rendition has some appealing refinements.
Read moreBlockbuster Cheese
You’re not imagining it. Burrata is everywhere. A cheese that almost nobody knew 20 years ago (even in Italy) is now summer’s blockbuster. Retailers struggle to keep it in stock, and chefs have taken it well beyond the predictable insalata caprese. What else can you do with this dreamy dairy queen?
Read moreSummer’s Celebrity
Move over, mozzarella. Burrata—a cheese that most Americans had never heard of a decade ago—is summer’s breakout star. I know that from restaurant menus, from observing grocery carts and from these stats from Di Stefano Cheese, the Southern California burrata producer whose product I adore:
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