Forget the cheese and charcuterie board and make a burrata bar!
Perfect to have on the table at a party, but also as an elaborate snack or light meal! The flavors and colors really pop, and with a few simple preparations, you’ll soon be enjoying this amazing burrata bar…
Because real burrata is already delicious on its own, and with some olive oil, pepper, and salt, you can immediately take it to an even higher level. Add a few different easy salads and toppings, and you’ve really outdone yourself—it’s so good. In her book Tables en Spreads, Shelly Westerhausen Worcel describes how to beautifully and festively fill a table with tasty snacks and grazing boards, and gives excellent tips for unique flavor combinations.
So get these delicious things in the house, throw together a few super-simple salads, and invite your friends to your burrata bar!
How to set up a burrata bar
For 6 people, you’ll need 3 to 4 balls of burrata; keep them chilled until you present the salads on serving dishes. Make three easy salads:
- Raw beet and carrot, shaved on a mandoline, tossed with olive oil and a little vinegar and mustard, and sprinkled with pepper, salt, sumac, and dill.
- Various citrus fruits, peeled and sliced—for example, a mandarin, a grapefruit, and a blood orange—with half a red onion in paper-thin rings, some green olives, chopped pistachios, olive oil, pepper and salt, and chopped tarragon.
- Cherry tomatoes and crushed cucumber pieces with a finely chopped jalapeño pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and basil leaves.
- Put a pound or so of mixed olives in a bowl (get different varieties at the Turkish supermarket), roughly chop some fresh green herbs (such as parsley, mint, and rosemary), and put those in a bowl or small dish as well.
- Arrange various crackers on a board, along with a tasty baguette cut into slices.
- When it’s time to open the ‘buffet,’ place each ball of burrata in its own bowl, with a spoon on the left side of the table, followed by the salads, and finally (on the right) the toppings (the olives and herbs), as well as salt and pepper.
- Put the crackers and bread alongside, and your burrata party is ready to begin!
Tips:
You can make the salads in the morning and store them in the refrigerator in airtight containers until serving time. Try to get carrots, beets, and tomatoes in different colors: the more colorful your burrata bar, the prettier it will be. If you’d like to serve some ham with it, Italian prosciutto (or another ham) is delicious too. And to stay in the Italian spirit, serve a selection of wines, such as pinot grigio, sangiovese, and a bottle of good prosecco. Salute!
Read also:
- Burgonzola: the love child of burrata and gorgonzola
- Absolutely delicious: how to make a Limonsecco (Limoncello with Prosecco)
- In Italy, bad gelato may become punishable by law (and that means more fantastic gelato!)
Source: The Kitchn
