If you haven’t been introduced to Burrata, please let me introduce you to the creamiest, most delicate, most delicious cheese on the planet! Its sister cheese, mozzarella, is very yummy too, but Burrata in my opinion, is just a little better in terms of taste and texture. The outside looks like a mozzarella ball, but the inside is where you’ll get a nice surprise with oozy, creamy, cheesy goodness. Burrata, meaning “buttery” in Italian is made from a mix of mozzarella cheese and cream. The outside thin shell is made of buffalo and/or cow’s milk mozzarella while the inside contains curd and fresh cream.
Burrata is a specialty of Southern Italy, especially in the regions of Apulia, on the heel of Italy. This relatively new cheese which was created around the 1920s, fairly recent considering the fact that Pecorino Romano Cheese for example was created over 2000 years ago! In fact, Romans loved cheese, they loved making and eating it. In the imperial palaces of the Romans, this sheep’s milk cheese Pecorino Romano (my all-time favorite cheese!) – was a prized dressing at banquets. If you’d like to read more about the history of Burrata click here – The origins of Burrata cheese.
As I would suspect it is believed that the Burrata uses the scraps from the mozzarella cheese in the inside of the cheese, so as not to waste, and this may be the very reason it was created. In my family, my mother used to say, “Waste not, want not.” I could not agree more.
Serve it as an appetizer for your guests at your next party and this will vanish quickly! In the above photo I have paired it with sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil and some oil from the sun dried tomatoes making it extra salty. Use a balsamic glaze and send this dish over the top. Better yet serve it drizzled with a little fresh pesto, as seen in the below photo paired with crusty Italian bread. Blend together: parsley, basil, garlic, olive oil, ground sea salt and lemon, and maybe some pine nuts if you wish and artfully drizzle it over the cheese and the plate.
There are many combinations that you can pair this cheese with. We have had it in restaurants with roasted tomatoes and beets, a sweeter combination. Whichever way you serve it, it’s sure to be a hit at your next gathering. Enjoy!
