After spending an oozingly satisfying morning making burrata from scratch, I knew I had to have a superlative plan for serving it later that night.  The whole crew who came along for the burrata adventure was going to be there, and I wanted them to experience the efforts of their toils in a way they would not soon forget.  The task was compounded in difficulty by the fact that I was pretty insistent upon doing multiple courses with different variations of the burrata.  I was hoping to make each course unique enough that every time someone experienced that gushing burst of burrata bliss it would be just as good as the first.  This post deals with two of those courses- both succulent enough to inspire salivation in the most sated soul.

We started with burrata in white nectarines with a fava bean puree because it’s refreshing, light (even with the burrata!) and the nectarines act as a great amuse bouche opening the palate to further pleasures.  I’ve served many variations on this fairly classic presentation of burrata, though normally I opt for apricots.  They were not in season at the market, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The nectarines had the added benefit of intensified sweetness to counterbalance the fava as well as a larger depression where their pits used to be, allowing me to cram in a perfectly plump dollop of burrata.  In the past, I had always oscillated between balsamic drizzle and mint simple syrup when dressing this dish, but this time I decided to go for broke and try both.  I wanted to be sure that each would have a different texture, so I upped the ante with the mint simple syrup and continued it to the point of caramelization.  That way, I could crumble the mint and drizzle the balsamic, and trust me, everyone was very happy.

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I have had a serious love affair with DeLaurenti in Pike Place Market for quite some time now; it’s the only shop I enter in Seattle and feel a semblance of being back in the land of prosciutto and Gucci (though I do have to ignore many of the uber-American tourists who frequent the market wearing tennis shoes and fanny packs if I want to retain my reverie).  It started when I moved back to Seattle from Torino a few years ago and went on the hunt for bresaola- the most amazing air-cured beef.  In Italy I had eaten it by the etto, almost daily and with reckless abandon.  One of the many things I forgot to factor into my homecoming was the utter absence of bresaola available on stateside soil.  After searching high and low to no avail, DeLaurenti came gleaming onto my radar like a beacon of brilliance.  They handily solved the first of what would become many gustatory jonesings, and I fell in love. 

This summer I went on a big gelato-making jag, and DeLaurenti was the only place in town that carried the super-top-secret-amazing-melt-in-your-mouth-ingredient I needed to make my pistachio flavor pop. They have become my go-to for everything from Marcona almonds to Valrhona chocolate.  When I discovered a while ago that they occasionally make their own burrata should the demand arise, my love affair went to a whole new level and I instantly vowed for better or worse, til death do us part.  Burrata, a cheese that consists of a mozzarella shell that encases the most amazing creamy-ooziness in the core once you slice it open, is the stuff from which dreams are made.  It should literally become global currency, transcending the euro and the yen faster than you can slip in a mouthful and beg for more.  Read more

The Power of a Savory Tart in Seattle’s Waning Summer.