The Cadillac of Mozzarella

I was picking up some lunch the other day at one of my absolute favorite places in Princeton. They have a killer selection of many different types of imported European goods. Everything from chocolate, oils, vinegars, teas, olives and cheese. I was cruising the cheeses while waiting for my sandwich to be made and I noticed something wrapped in a big leaf that was sitting in a small bin of water. I asked about it and I was informed that it was a type of mozzarella with a creamy center called burrata. They import it from Italy once a week. I was absolutely intrigued!

This past week, I decided not to wait for a special occasion and went ahead and purchased some. I stopped by our public garden plot on the way home and harvested some tomatoes. I absolutely could not wait for Chris to come home so we eat it! He's lucky that I managed to restrain myself!

I sliced up the tomatoes and I cut the burrata in half. I studied the soft center beneath the thick skin of mozzarella. I harvested a few leaves of basil from our plant and sprinkled them all over the tomatoes. I put the cheese in the middle and poured a small pool of balsamic reduction near one end of the plate.

Molly and Chris gathered around and I would go as far as to say that the "ooohhhed" and "aaaahhhhed" a little bit!

I served the platter as an accompaniment to some orzo with garden fresh kale, tomatoes and Tofurkey sausage. My family loves this dinner but the shining star was definitely the burrata. We were running our fingers along the plate trying to salvage every last bit. I only used half of the cheese that night so I plan on serving the other half tonight with some homemade roasted peppers. I have been thinking about this all day! I can't wait for dinner tonight!

Happy World Vegetarian Day!!!