Burrata & Prosciutto Crustini

I kinda have a Costco addiction. Sure, it’s not elegant like Whole Foods but man, can I get myself in trouble there. Why get a dozen eggs when you can get 60. Need soap, I know where I can get you 2 gallons of it.

So, last week I ventured in against my better judgment. I mean, I knew I’d be walking out with a cart full of stuff to feed a family of 6 but I couldn’t help it. Really, I couldn’t.

I have to admit, it was all going good until I arrived at the cheese isle. I walked out with some smoked gouda, a brie and a container of burrata – one of my favorites. So after about 20 minutes unloading the car, I realized that I had to do something pretty quickly with that Burrata (what is Burrata, you ask – well, click here for a more detailed explanation).

The thing with Burrata is its best incredibly fresh. It sounds obvious right, but it’s even more temperamental than you think. First up, I change the water it sits in as soon as I get it home. It’s the water that tends to makes it go bad quickly, so the fresher you keep the water the longer your cheese will stay fresh.

In the end I decided to make something pretty standard – a cross between crustini and an open faced sandwich. I can’t decide which it is and that’s okay.

Last summer in Barcelona, every time we went out to eat, the table bread had been sliced, toasted and rubbed with ripe tomatoes. What you ended up with was a crispy crust and a really juicy, soft inside. Simple, yet out of this world.

I decided to bring a little of Spain to my fairly Italian recipe.

Here they are assembled.

I love that you can see the mozzarella shell and then the creamy mozzarella inside the Burrata.

I use a blended finishing oil most of the time. I find that sometimes olive oil is a little too pungent for me. I blend it with 3 parts canola oil.

On my plate and ready to eat. This is a super simple yet incredibly delicious snack, meal or whatever.

I hope you get to make it very soon.

much love!
jess

PRINTRECIPE
Burrata & Prosciutto Crustini
1 good loaf of artisanal bread, slice into approximately 10 ½ inch slices
1 overly ripe, room temperature tomato
5 slices of prosciutto, halved
2 balls of burrata, sliced into 5 pieces each
5 basil leaves, genoa or another sweet Italian variety, chiffonade
1 clove of garlic
Red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or a blend

Slice bread and grill until toasted. Cut garlic clove in half and rub cut side down on the surface of the toasted bread. Slice tomato in half and rub the cut side of the tomato onto the bread.

Arrange one slice of prosciutto onto each slice followed by a piece of burrata. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and basil. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Note – Burrata is best served cool but not ice cold.
ENDPRINTRECIPE

32