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.

Hot Crab Dip

Luckily for me, Friendsgiving is becoming an annual tradition, so not only do I get to spend quality time with my best friends, but I also get to chow down on Thanksgiving dinner more than once...Jackpot! 

In the presence of great cooks this meant there was no empty space on my plate to start the meal or in my stomach by the end of the night. Although the 40lb turkey got vetoed immediately, the spread of mouth watering side dishes were the real stars of the evening.  

My contributions to the meal started with the appetizer round. Though I can't claim to have been the genius behind the amazing pear, prosciutto and goat cheese app that kicked off the evening, I went with a hot crab dip that is a family favorite at our holiday celebrations. Usually I scoff at the sight of mayo in a recipe, but all bets are off when this delicious appetizer is in front of my face.   

The recipe:

1 lb lump crab meat

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 c reduced-fat mayonnaise (start with 3/4 cup and add in the final 1/4 cup as necessary)

1 c shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 c green onion

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Make sure there are no shells in the lump crab meat. Chop up the artichoke hearts and combine all the ingredients into a baking dish (I used about a 10x7 sized dish). Bake for about 20 minutes until the dip is heated through and starting to bubble.

Easy as pie! Serve with celery stalks or your favorite crackers.

Spinach Artichoke & White Bean "Endive Dippers"

As healthy as endive spears are, tortilla chips are fun too... (featured - Trader Joes Veggie & Flax Seed Chips)

Last week while standing in line for salad at one of my favorite grab-and-go lunch spots, I couldn’t help but overhear a woman crafting her own salad packed with vegetables and…cannoli beans. Clearly she had Italian desert and not healthy salad fixings on the brain. While fighting back the giggles, I got to thinking about other ways I could incorporate white beans, or cannellini beans, into recipes.

One thing led to another and here we are with endive dippers in one hand and spinach artichoke and cannellini bean dip in the other.

The artichoke added a nice creaminess to the dip, while the spinach provided the green boost; white beans injected fiber and protein and rosemary the nice flavor. I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but the dip did remind me somewhat of hummus.

This recipe can be as simple as a quick rinse of the beans and a toss of everything in the blender, or it can involve some light sautéing before combining. Either way, it is destined to be a hit. Pita chips, tortilla chips or crackers work for serving too.

The recipe: 

3  large garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 c. red onion

4 cups baby spinach

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil + oil for cooking

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

In a large nonstick skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 of the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Repeat with the remaining spinach. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.

Place the spinach mixture, a tbsp of olive oil, cannelloni beans, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, parmesan and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Serve with endive spears.

Nectarine, Prosciutto and Arugula Flatbread

In the age-old battle of battle of toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe, we have some new contenders: pro-shoot and pro-shoo-toe. Today' story is of Fruit and Pro-shoot (rhymes!). A quick google search informs me that some italians have taken it upon themselves to drop the last syllable of the word, but regardless of the pronunciation, this recipe brings together the salty and the sweet in perfect harmony to create a little something savory. 

I will be the first to admit that I constantly find myself brainstorming ways to incorporate fruits into recipes other than desserts, but when we're talking sweet, juicy nectarines it is 100% warranted. Nectarines are the long lost cousin of the peach and in my experience; the pros - no "peach fuzz", the cons - they can be very difficult to cut around the pit. I have often had more luck finding flavor-packed nectarines...there have been one too many times I ended up with a bland peach. But my new rule to live by for peaches is: if you can smell the flavor you'll be able to taste it. So regardless, either variation will work for this recipe. Especially because when paired with the prosciutto (something I always consider a treat) and other ingredients, this flatbread becomes a prime candidate for a dinner party appetizer that won't go unnoticed. 

Another great way to elevate the flatbread is to add a drizzle of balsamic glaze on top. But whatever you do...

I guarantee this won't last long!

The recipe:

Flatbreads (like Trader Joe's Middle Eastern Whole Wheat Flatbread)

1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese, divided

Prosciutto (about 1.5 thick slices or 3 thin strips per flatbread, enough to mostly cover)

Nectarine, sliced

1 tbsp chopped basil

1/3 c. arugula

Olive oil

Pepper

Oregano

Preheat broiler. Drizzle olive oil over the flatbread and spread around to lightly coat. Sprinkle with

pepper and oregano. Sprinkle half of shaved parmesan over the flatbread. Place in the broiler for 1 minute to melt the cheese.

Remove and drape prosciutto slices over (about 3 thin slices), arrange nectarine slices atop prosciutto.

Return to broiler for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile mix together basil and arugula and drizzle with a tiny bit of

olive oil (<1tsp). Remove pizza from oven and top with arugula mixture.

Top with remaining parmesan (if you wish). Cut into pieces and serve. (Also - try drizzling with balsamic glaze for some additional contrast!)

Another note: After melting the cheese you could skip any return to the broiler for more of a cool and refreshing nectarine/prosciutto combination, while still maintaining the crispy crust.