Last summer, a friend came to a barbecue and said, “We had soccer and then a birthday party and I had no time to make anything but I brought this” and started unloading items from a grocery bag. There were no clean cooking utensils so she and I proceeded to use our hands to break open balls of burrata and spread them on a plate, smash open cherries and pit them, sprinkling them over, crushed pistachios with the bottom of a pot, and finished the whole platter with olive oil, lots of sea salt, black pepper, and fresh mint we picked from sprigs. We lined the plate with rounds of storebought crostini, I snapped a picture and later when I shared it, dozens of you messaged me to demand a recipe or tutorial.
Honestly, I love it when you guys are bossy. Because my brain can be such a drag, telling me that “is this even a real recipe” and “it’s probably been done a million times” and “probably we should just stop with the burrata already” which is a malady one can catch after spending nearly 20 years sending out cooking content on the internet, forgetting that things that can seem “overdone” are, in fact, wildly delicious to people in the real world. And it was. The platter was demolished by a pride of revelers in under 15 minutes.
And so for a week in which many of us are heading out of town and cooking in unfamiliar kitchens that might lack such creature comforts as (gasp!) a cherry pitter, this no-recipe recipe feels suddenly timely: hands-on, a little messy, but also impossible to mess up. The cherries are fantastic this year; this allows every single one I don’t snack on first to shine.
Burrata with Crushed Cherries and Pistachios
Some additional burrata advice: Burrata is at its most nuanced and creamy when it’s been allowed to come to room temperature, or just below. If you can find them, mini balls of burrata (Liuzzi and BelGioso brands sell them) always feel like they stretch further in dishes like this. Can’t find fresh burrata? The next best thing is stracciatella, which is basically the creamy, scrappy inside of a ball of burrata, but it is sometimes even harder to find. My favorite easier swap is a high-quality fresh ricotta, storebought or homemade.
- 1 pound (455 grams) burrata
- 1 pound (455 grams) fresh cherries
- Olive oil
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) salted, shelled pistachios
- A sprig of two of fresh mint
- Flaky sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Crostini for serving
Drain burrata on a paper towel and ideally let it come to room temperature or a little below before using for the maximum creaminess and flavor. Tear burrata into chunks and scatter on a serving platter.
Although I have a cherry pitter, I prefer the cherries here crushed or sliced open. To crush them, use the side of a knife or even the bottom of a heavy glass to press the cherry into a cutting board or plate until you can easily remove the pit. Tear the cherry in half and scatter over the burrata. Repeat with remaining cherries. Yes, this makes a mess but a delicious one: pour any accumulated cherry juices over the cherries on the burrata. To slice cherries open, run a paring knife around the cherry, cutting to the center, twist the sides apart, and fish out the pit.
Drizzle cherries and burrata with olive oil.
Either coarsely chop the pistachios or you can use the back of a heavy pan to crush them into irregular pieces. Sprinkle the pistachios over the cherries and burrata, followed by flaky sea salt, grinds of black pepper, and fresh mint. Serve with crostini and watch it vanish.
Previously
6 months ago: Invisible Apple Cake
1 year ago: Summer Steak with Corn and Tomatoes
2 years ago: Summer Pea Salad with Unexpected Dressing
3 years ago: Roasted Tomatoes with White Beans
4 years ago: Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris
5 years ago: Collard Greens with Cornmeal Dumplings
6 years ago: Corn Salad with Chile and Lime
7 years ago: Grilled Zucchini Ribbons with Pesto and White Beans
8 years ago: Grilled Pizza and Confetti Party Cake
9 years ago: Peaches and Cream Bunny Cake
10 years ago: Green Beans and Almond Pesto and Very Blueberry Scones
11 years ago: Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings and Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
12 years ago: Slow-and-Low Dry Rub Oven Chicken and Grilled Bacon Salad with Arugula and Balsamic
13 years ago: Blackberry Gin Fizz and Bacon Corn Hash
14 years ago: Skirt Steak with Bloody Mary Tomato Salad and Flatbreads with Honey, Thyme, and Sea Salt
15 years ago: Bread and Butter Pickles, Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart, Zucchini and Ricotta Galette and Porch Swing
16 years ago: Mediterranean Pepper Salad, Cherry Brown Butter Bars and Watermelon Lemonade
17 years ago: Chopped Vegetable, Watermelon, and Feta Salad
18 years ago: Rosanne Cash’s All-American Potato Salad and Ratatouille’s Ratatouille
YUM! Anything burrata is good by me!
This sounds amazing and I have all the ingredients except burrata! If anyone in MA wants some mint for this dish, hit me up – my mint has gone amok!
Oh yum! This reminds me of the NYT “no recipe recipes”. As always, love your recos for options and substitutions. I’m also going to try this with quark – we have a local cheesemaker who makes amazing quark.
(What is quark? Quark is a fresh, unaged dairy product, similar to a soft cheese, with a creamy, thick texture and a mild, slightly tart flavor. It’s often described as being between cottage cheese and yogurt in consistency.)
Can’t find/afford burrata? Decent water-packed fresh mozzarella, torn over the plate, then drizzle with cream. Easy. Cheap.
This looks delicious! Thinking about bringing to a 4th of July party tomorrow but concerned on how it will age left out on a table for an hour or so. Does it sit well?
Thanks!
It looks great, I do have to admit that I’m the weird person who doesn’t like burrata (too gloopy and milky) but I love pistachios, cherries and almost every cheese in the world, so I will think of something ;)
Perhaps not “the,” but “a” weird person who doesn’t care for it – neither do I. What’s that softer, creamier feta called? Is it ricotta salata? I imagine that would be tasty in this beautiful dish.
P.S. Fascinating to hear that NY cherries are splendid this year; the northwest cherry trees graced us with a bumper crop of delightful fruit too.
Burrata doesn’t have to be “gloopy & milky” because it totally depends on the brand. Some are so much better (firmer) than others. Please don’t give up on burrata. Just keep experimenting until you find one that is more firm & less loose on the inside.
Have you ever tried Bing cherries with blue cheese? It’s phenomenal. I often use the combo in a salad when cherries are in season. But this recipe makes me think it would make a good crossing topping! Might switch out the pistachios for toasted almonds.
Crostini. Sorry for the autocorrect.
I’m not a fan of cherries. Would other stone fruits work?
Adding just a few blueberries will make this a perfect Memorial Day or Fourth of July treat!