My love for all things dairy, fishy, and eggy keeps me from full-on vegetarianism/veganism. Eric and I both agree that the best meal from our honeymoon wasn't at the many restaurants we dined at, but, instead, the lunch we consumed together on a park bench in a small Provincial town. A baguette, the tupperware of tapenade, and a container of creamy, stinky cheese. The summer sun beating down from above. We moaned with every hunk of bread that was shoved into our mouths. Our heads shook side to side in disbelief at how something so simple could be so decadent and perfect.
When we dine out we'd much rather finish our meals with a cheese course than any chocolate creation that's on the menu. After many disappointing endings to dinners at upscale restaurants (one exception being The French Laundry, which blew us away), when a cheese plate presents itself, that's our dessert of choice. Which is why I ended up going the sweet route with this burrata. With all the recipes out there, I didn't find many that treated it as a finale.
As I've said before, I'm not much of a baker and rarely prepare anything more than a quick, rustic crisp for dinner guests. So, I did what I feel comfortable doing and roasted some peaches with balsamic, which were drizzled over the cream-filled cheese, and topped with some chopped cherries and a buttery oat crumble.
Burrata with Cherries and Balsamic Roasted Peaches
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
2 large balls of burrata, cut in half
1 peach, sliced into 1/4" thick wedges
10 cherries, pitted and quartered
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
For the topping
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oats
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar. In a bowl, pour 1/4 of the liquid over the peaches and toss to coat. Spread onto the baking sheet in an even layer and roast for 10 minutes.
3. In another bowl, add the dry ingredients for the topping. Using a fork, mix the topping ingredients while drizzling the butter in, until it begins to come together. Spread on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 8 minutes, until browned and bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool. At this point, it should begin to harden, break up into small pieces to sprinkle on top.
4. Transfer remaining balsamic vinegar liquid into a small saucepan and set over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, cook until liquid has reduced in half and is a syrupy consistency.
5. Place one large ball of burrata into a bowl or separate into two separate bowls if splitting amongst a few people. Spoon roasted peaches and chopped cherries on top, followed by the crumble topping. Drizzle balsamic reduction over before serving.
