Caprese Salad with Burrata Mozzarella
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 as an appetiser/share salad
Ingredients
3 vine ripened tomatoes (ox heart tomatoes are very nice also but can be expensive)
200g Burrata mozzarella (you can find it at good deli’s and providers, I buy mine from Paesonella in Sydney)
½ a bunch of basil
70ml of quality extra virgin olive oil
40ml of quality balsamic vinegar to finish
Maldon salt or quality salt
Black pepper
Basil oil
½ bunch of basil
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 loaf of crust white bread (torn)
Method
Nb. The basil oil is optional, but adds a beautiful flavour to the dish. You must start the basil oil the night before. To make the basil oil, blanch basil leaves quickly for 20 seconds in a pot of boiling salted water, then refresh in ice water. In a mortar and pestle crush leaves with extra virgin olive oil and salt, serve chunky and for optimum results leave in the fridge to infuse.
Prepare the tomatoes by cutting the core end and the bottom off, then slice around 2cm thick slice (depending on tomato size you should be getting 3-4 slices per tomato). Lay the tomatoes out and season quite liberally both sides with salt, then drizzle around 20ml of the olive oil over the tomatoes presentation side, then finish with a sprinkle of cracked pepper.
To prepare the Mozzarella, bring the cheese to room temperature, then drain the liquid from the container and allow the surface liquid to drain by leaving on a paper towel for a minute.
Plate the dish by placing the mozzarella in the middle, the tomato to one side, tear the bread for a nice rustic provincial Italian look and place next to the mozzarella. Pick half of your basil leaves and place over the tomato, then leave some of the nicer leaves on the stalk on the plate for the option of people that love extra basil like myself. In a small bowl, place the remaining olive oil and half of the balsamic, top with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Keep the remaining balsamic for a top-up if needed.
To eat, dip your bread in the balsamic olive oil mix, place some cheese, tomato and basil on your bread and enjoy.
