Burrata Crostini with Herb Vinaigrettes

July 27, 2020 by Nicole Collins

I'm here with a confession today.

It's been quite some time since I've exposed a truth about myself. I'm sure you're more than ready for some scandalous news. Though, every time I build you up thinking I have something juicy to tell you, it's usually a let down.

Actually, today's truth isn't really that exciting at all. It's delicious though. Is that good enough?

So, here is goes. Remember how I told you that I was going to turn into a big old ball of burrata, because I can't seem to stop eating my weight in bread and cheese? Welp, today we're eating more bread a cheese. So, I basically have mozzarella pulsing through my bloodstream at this point.

And, the quarantine fifteen is getting a little closer to the quarantine twenty if you know what I'm saying.

The moral of the story is that your girl needs to get her life right...STAT. But first, bread and cheese. So today, we're making Burrata Crostini with Herb Vinaigrettes!

Ok, so yes we're having more carbs and cheese today. But, we're also having veggies and herbs. So, they basically cancel each other out, right?

AND, this is another one of those 2 for 1 recipes which makes today's recipe half as carbalicious. Right? You following my logic here?

Let's just get to it. These crostini start with a delicious baguette. We're going to slice the bread on the diagonal to give us a little more surface area for piling on the goodies. Then, we drizzle them with some olive oil and pop them in the oven to toast up. They'll be golden and crisp on the outside and the perfect vehicle for lots of delicious things. *Chef's Kiss!*

Next, we're going to make 2 types of vinaigrettes for drizzling on top of our crostini. First up is the Basil Chive Vinaigrette that you guys should basically have memorized by now. Yes, this is the third recipe this summer that we've used this dressing on, but it's just that amazing. Our second dressing is a tangy Mint Scallion Vinaigrette. Mint, scallions, vinegar, oil, dijon, and honey all get blended together for a light and creamy dressing.

Once we have our components prepared, all that's left to do is assemble! We're actually going to use two different kinds of gooey burrata to top our crostini: regular and truffle burrata. Now, I understand that truffle is not for everyone. I'm obsessed with truffle, so I'll get truffle flavored anything if the opportunity presents itself. But, if you don't like truffle, can't find truffle burrata, or don't want to buy two different kinds of burrata; you can absolutely use plain burrata for both kinds of crostini.

First up, we have a Prosciutto Arugula Crostini. Baby arugula gets coated in a little bit of the mint scallion vinaigrette, then piled on top of half of our crispy slices of baguette. On top of the arugula, we'll add some torn pieces of burrata, a pinch of flaky sea salt, a piece of torn prosciutto, and another drizzle of vinaigrette.

For our second crostini, we're going to make an Heirloom Caprese bite. Torn pieces of truffle burrata top the rest of the baguette slices, get topped with some beautiful heirloom tomato pieces, then drizzled with our basil chive vinaigrette. Now, both burrata and tomatoes need a little salt to bring out their true essence, so we're going to season at every layer on this crostini. These also get a little sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper to finish them off, as well.

What we end up with is a tray of colorful deliciousness. There are so many different flavor, colors, and textures happening all on one tray of food. The bread is crunchy. The cheese is creamy. The meat and tomatoes are salty. And the herby drizzles are completely refreshing. If someone told me that I could only eat these crostini for the rest of forever, I'd probably cry with joy. Bread, cheese, repeat? Sounds like a happy life to me!

Ok, everyone. Somehow, my brain has been on overdrive lately; so I have a couple weeks worth of preplanned recipes to hold you guys over while I shift my personal focus and try to ditch these quarantine pounds. But, I promise to continue to feed you well.

And, I promise I'll be eating well too! Just not in a bread, cheese, repeat kind of way. But for now, let's enjoy! And, let's eat!

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Burrata Crostini with Herb Vinaigrettes

Serves: about 24 crostini Print

Ingredients:

For the Basil Chive Vinaigrette:

• 1 cup basil, packed

• 1 heaping tbsp chives, chopped

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 small clove garlic, smashed

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

For the Mint Scallion Vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

• 1 tbsy honey

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp mint, packed

• 1 scallion, chopped

• ¼ tsp salt

• pinch of pepper

For the Crostini:

• 1 baguette, sliced ½ inch thick on the diagonal (at least 24 slices)

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil

• 4 slices prosciutto, torn into thirds

• 1 ball burrata cheese, torn into about 12 pieces

• 1 cup baby arugula

• 3 slices heirloom tomatoes, sliced about ¼ inch thick and cut into quarters

• ½ cup baby heirloom tomatoes, halved

• 1 ball truffle burrata, torn into about 12 pieces

• flaky sea salt, to taste

• pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Make the Basil Chive Vinaigrette: To a small food processor or blender, add basil, chives, vinegar, garlic, olive oil, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Process until smooth. Set aside.

2. Make the Mint Scallion Vinaigrette: To a small food processor or blender, add olive oil, vinegar, honey, dijon, mint, scallion, ¼ tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper. Process until smooth. Set aside.

3. Prepare the baguette: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange baguette slices on a large baking sheet, and lightly drizzle both sides of the bread with olive oil. Alternately, you can lightly brush both sides of the baguette with olive oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the bread is lightly golden. Set aside.

4. Assemble the Prosciutto Arugula Crostini: To a small bowl, add arugula and 1 tbsp Mint Scallion Vinaigrette. Toss well to coat the greens. Take half of the baguette slices, and top each one with dressed arugula, evenly divided. Top each crostini with 1 torn piece of burrata, a sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt directly on the burrata, 1 torn piece of prosciutto, and drizzle of Mint Scallion Vinaigrette.

5. Assemble the Heirloom Caprese Crostini: Take the other half of the baguette slices, and top each with a torn piece of truffle burrata. Sprinkle burrata with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Top each piece with a quarter slice of tomato and 2-3 halves of baby tomato. Sprinkle again with a pinch of flaky seat salt and a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle with Basil Chive Vinaigrette.

6. SERVE!

Recipe notes:

*Burrata cheese is a variation of mozzarella that's creamy and gooey on the inside. If you can't find truffle burrata, you can use plain burrata in both crostinis.

*You will not nearly use all of either vinaigrette. But these vinaigrettes are AMAZING on EVERYTHING! So, keep them in a fridge for up to a week to drizzle on salads, veggies, eggs, etc. Or, freeze some of it in large silicone ice cube trays. Then, you can have a fresh, herbaceous sauce at all times once you thaw it out.

*We're piling lots of goodies on these little slices of baguette, so slicing them on the diagonal gives us a little more surface area for loading up.