(and le chateaubriand's bitter lettuce and burrata salad)
please excuse the extremely grainy picture, but i took this with my iphone, by almost nothing more than candlelight, after a couple of glasses of (fantastic) red wine. it was the second or third course of my customized, vegetarian tasting menu at le chateaubriand in paris. they were very sweet to adapt the menu to my needs, and they didn't disappoint. i came away with inspiration for two totally fun recipes that i want to work on soon (one involving a new use for lunu miris), and they served me burrata.
discovering burrata a couple of years ago was even more exciting than discovering buffalo mozzarella, whenever that was. if buffalo or fresh mozzarella is ten times as silky, fresh-tasting and creamy than the best bocconcini, then burrata is ten times fresher, silkier and creamer than fresh mozzarella. when it's made, burrata starts off the same as fresh mozzarella ball, but then cream is added to the centre of the ball, so when you cut into it, it kinda oozes out of the soft but firmer skin. it's mild but really rich, and the milky white strands made a perfect foil to the bitter leaves and tart dressing in the salad at le chateaubriand. i haven't bought any burrata from the market, i always stop myself because it's a little pricey. but what the hell, i'm worth it. and it's summer now. the greens i'm bringing home are finally worthy of mingling with something this special too.