Baked Burrata

I'm all for balanced meals, but cheese for dinner is totally warranted when that cheese happens to be burrata...wrapped in phyllo dough...with roasted tomatoes. Swoon.

A quick ingredient lesson: Burrata means buttered in Italian. Buttery cheese - think about THAT one for a second. Although it's technically not the same as mozzarella, the easiest way to describe Burrata is essentially as a ball of mozzarella with a creamy-velvety-cheesy interior. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how this twist on Baked Brie made it's way into Cooking Light magazine, but I am pretty thrilled that it did.

As is probably evident from my posts, most of my cooking is for my own benefit with the occasional dinner guest(s) to partake in the end product, so you can imagine my excitement when I had a good friend to conjure up a new creation with. Yet in all the excitement, following some of the directions went a bit out the window. Case in point: the phyllo dough. Dough might be a bit of a generous term for these paper thin sheets. Nonetheless, we improvised on the de-frosting process and never turned back - we couldn't risk having to wait any longer to dig into our Saturday night treat, ahem, I mean dinner.

Because I'm a seasoning junkie, I would recommend a few tweaks to the original recipe, but on the whole, I applaud you Cooking Light for highlighting this fabulous ingredient that somehow manages to fly under the radar.

The recipe
(Adapted from Cooking Light)
Notes on prep work: you will need to freeze the burrata ahead of time and defrost the phyllo dough ahead of time


1 (8-ounce) ball burrata or 2 - 4 oz (my preference)
Olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 large garlic cloves, chopped and divided
3 large ripe plum tomatoes, halved
6 (14 x 9—inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Cooking spray

Unwrap burrata; gently pat dry. Wrap burrata in several layers of plastic wrap to preserve the "ball" shape. Freeze 8 hours or until completely frozen.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine 2 tsp oil and next 5 ingredients, using half of the quantities listed for thyme through garlic; toss to combine. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet and pour the mixture over top. Bake at 425° for 35-40 minutes or until blistered and liquid almost evaporates. Cool. Chop tomato mixture.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time (cover remaining phyllo to prevent it from drying), lay 1 sheet on a flat surface, and coat with cooking spray. Stack another phyllo sheet at a slight angle over the first, and coat with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining phyllo and cooking spray, angling each phyllo sheet slightly over the previous sheet. Note: if you do use the 2 4-oz burrata balls, you can improvise a bit/use your judgement on the phyllo - half sheets might suffice.

Using a slotted spoon, spoon tomato mixture in center of phyllo stack, and discard any liquid. Unwrap burrata, and place frozen burrata on tomato mixture.

Sprinkle remaining half of each of the seasonings directly onto the burrata.

Fold the phyllo edges over to enclose cheese and tomato mixture, pressing to seal. Turn ball over with tomato mixture on top, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush phyllo with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

Preheat broiler to high. Broil cheese ball 2 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.