Heirloom Tomato Salad w/ Burrata & Opal Basil

heirloom3

You don't really need a recipe for this salad, however, I thought I would make it as Ms. Goin does in her lovely book Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

You know this is one of my very favorite cookbooks.
However, she makes everything into such a production. But the nice thing about her recipes is that you can read thru them and then "take it down a notch" or "dumb it down" (I hate both of those expressions) to suit your ingredients and style. Her photos are beautiful and every recipe in her book comes out beautifully (but be prepared to have time to prepare them).



This time I stuck to the recipe, even though I make this for lunch almost every week in the summer!
I made her dressing with the 1/2 clove of garlic, fresh oregano and salt, then added the vinegars and 6 tbsp of olive oil. Easy.

Then I tore up some nice bread (she likes a good white bread, I like a good Italian, who is to say?) and tossed the slices w/ olive oil and toasted them, then haphazardly threw them over the gorgeous heirloom Jersey tomatoes, which by the way, were ALL from my neighbor's and my garden, including the oregano and opal basil. La di da.



Burrata cheese is a gorgeous milky, runny fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. It tastes like butter, hence the name burrata, which means butter in Italian.

So slice your pretty colorful heirloom tomatoes, as many varieties as you can find and plate them with the warm croutons and fresh burrata cheese. Drizzle some of that yummy dressing over the whole platter and toss those little opal basil leaves on top and grind with some fresh black pepper.



There you have it, lunch is served, and you really didn't need a recipe.

Comments

How gorgeous Stacey. I adore tomatoes, especially the heirlooms. Jersey tomatoes are so good - I can only imagine how tasty a Jersey heirlooms would be.

We grew Cherokee Purple heirlooms this year, but didn't have as much luck as we had wished.
Sam
The JR said…
Another fantastic meal! I luv tomatoes, eat them anyway that they are fixed.
kat said…
Sounds like cooking from that book might be like cooking from Ad Hoc at Home, you read through it & then figure out how a home chef without a kitchen of staff would do it.
lisa is cooking said…
I'm not kidding when I say that I could eat this every day. It's perfect.
Dewi said…
absolutely delicious sounding dressing. The salad is of course gorgeous!
Dana said…
How much do I love you? I am making that very salad tonight for a dinner guest. My sweet neighbor went and picked me up some burrata - not that easy to find around here. The cheese market sets a limit to 3 balls per person per day because there is such a demand. I LOVE this salad!
Ciao Chow Linda said…
I had burrata yesterday (with serrano ham) for the first time in a long time. There's still enough left for making your beautiful salad.
I'm nuts about burrata, and I could eat this salad everyday. Oh I'm going to miss those summer tomatoes. I can't imagine using "white bread" with this gorgeous salad, sorry Ms. Goin, but I'm going with Stacey and the Italian bread!
Be still my heart. This is a beautiful panzanella. I love that cookbook, too.
Aunt Lollie said…
I'm so excited! I was just invited to a BBQ for Saturday and asked if i can bring a salad. Guess what i'm brining? Yep! Stacey's gorgeous heirloom & burrata salad. But i, like you, will use an Italian or French bread.

Thank you Stacey for another beautiful dish.
Culinary Cory said…
You have no idea how much I love this combo of flavors! It's fresh, easy and rustic all at the same time. Plus, it's a perfect way to use up some leftover bread. I'll have to see if I can find Burrata to try the next time I'm at my local market.
Lori Lynn said…
One of my favorite cookbooks too, and love her restaurant. Great colorful photos...
LL
I've looked for burrata before and haven't been able to find it. I live in NJ too. Where do you get it?

Thanks.

Leigh