Starter
Burrata with roasted cherry tomatoes
One ball of burrata and a bit of colour — yet secretly the prettiest plate of the night.
Burrata does the work: you tear it open and the creamy centre spills out. Warm, blistered tomatoes and a homemade basil oil in bright green turn it into a picture that looks straight off a terrace in Puglia.
Method
- Heat the oven to 200 °C. Toss the tomatoes with garlic, 1 tbsp oil, salt and pepper and roast 15-18 min until just blistered.
- Meanwhile blend the basil with 5 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt into a bright green oil. Strain for a clear oil if you like.
- Place the burrata in the middle of a plate with the tomatoes around it and some of their roasting juices.
- Spoon the basil oil in streaks and drops around it — not over it.
- Finish with balsamic glaze, sea salt flakes and pepper. Serve with warm bread.
The bluff
Colour contrast and open tears
The bluff is purely visual: bright green basil oil against red and white is restaurant-worthy. Tear the burrata open only at the table so the creamy centre spills out theatrically, and drip the oil around it — never over it — so the colours stay separate.
Plating — how to make it look expensive
- Burrata in the centre as the focal point; tomatoes around it like a wreath.
- Drip the oil in loose dots with a spoon — that looks deliberate, not messy.
- Sea salt flakes at the last moment for sparkle and a light crunch.
- A few small basil leaves on top for fresh height.
What you say at the table
“I had some burrata lying around, so…”
“That basil oil I whizzed up myself.”
What to drink
A crisp white (Vermentino) or a light rosé.
Foto via Pexels