This Recipe is part of the Intimate Dinner Al Fresco Big Sur Menu
We grew up on Jersey tomatoes and we love them, don’t get us wrong. But when we first tried California heirloom tomatoes, we were immediate converts. Their colors are vivid—we get everything from yellow to orange, pink, and even green—and during the summer their flavor is out of control. Plus, we’re near a lot of local growers, which means we’ve got access to the freshest and tastiest of them all. For this recipe, we use Eric and Jasmine’s microgreens and burrata, a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream.
Ingredients
12 ounces (about 3 balls) burrata
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup rice bran oil or canola oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 assorted heirloom tomatoes
2 cups (4 ounces) microgreens
1/4 cup basil oil
Directions
1. About 30 minutes before serving time, pull the burrata from the refrigerator and set it aside to come to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Place the pine nuts on a cookie sheet and toast them in the oven until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Let the nuts cool completely.
4. To make the dressing, put the vinegar, basil, mustard, and pine nuts in a blender and purée until smooth. With the blender running, add the rice bran oil or canola oil in a slow, steady stream, blending until the dressing is thick and emulsified. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and set it aside.
5. Cut the burrata balls in half and season them generously with salt and pepper.
6. Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange them on a serving plat ter. Season them generously with salt and pepper, and drizzle with some of the balsamic-basil dressing. In a mixing bowl, toss the greens with 1 tablespoon of the dressing; arrange them on top of the tomatoes. Place the burrata halves on top of the greens, soft center up, and finiish with a drizzle of basil oil.
Serves 4
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Recipe excerpted from The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook by Michelle Wojtowicz. Published by HarperCollins. Copyright 2009 by Michelle Wojtowicz. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the book now!