Last Updated on 27th January 2023 by Pauline Loughlin
I like to experiment with different cheeses and see what kind of dishes I can come up with. I love trying recipes that people swear by using cheeses I hardly ever use.
I know there’s probably all sorts of unexpected uses for some of those lesser known cheeses, and I want to share one of those with you today which is called burrata cheese.
What Is Burrata Cheese?
This fresh cheese is made from cow’s milk and is an Italian specialty. It’s sold in balls in the grocery store, so you might have mistaken it for mozzarella if you’ve seen it before.
What is burrata used for? Its rich, fresh cream is a great pairing for savory or sweet dishes, and it is often mixed with herbs, vegetables, and fruits to help accentuate its unique flavor.
How to Make Burrata
This is probably a cheese unlike any you’ve ever had before, and even the way it’s made is different from most cheeses. How is burrata made? Let me show you.
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon of milk
- 1/2 tablet of rennet
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons of citric acid
- Water, as needed
- Salt
Directions:
- Using 1/2 cup of cold water, dissolve the citric acid. Then, pour the milk into a heavy pot and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Add in your citric mixture and stir. On medium heat warm up the milk until it reaches about 90 degrees Fahrenheit while stirring regularly.
- Then, crush the rennet tablet and dissolve it into a quarter cup of water. Take the milk off the heat, adding the rennet and then allowed to sit for 12 minutes. Stir the freshly made curds for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Then, spoon the curds into a colander.
- Mix your curds with half a tablespoon of salt and your cream.
- Then, heat up a large pot of water to about 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Separately, fill a bowl with ice water
- Work two tablespoons of cult salt through the curds with your fingers. Pour hot water around the curds until the water covers them and allow to sit for a minute.
- Take half the curds and form them into a ball, then pull away from the bowl and stretch it back and forth until it is shiny. Form a mozzarella disc from your curds and spoon in a couple tablespoons of the filling and then a couple tablespoons of cream. Twist the ball closed to seal it and place into an ice bath.
How to Eat Burrata
Burrata can be served up with bruschetta bread, fresh fruits, grilled chicken, and just about any other dish you would serve with fancy cheese on the side. It pairs nicely with artichoke hearts and mandarin orange salad, as well as a variety of other dishes.
How to use burrata cheese to make the most of it? You’ll benefit form pairing it with something flavorful that has an opposing texture and a different color. This helps the burrata to really stand out.
What Does Burrata Cheese Taste Like?
Burrata cheese can be a little tough to describe. It’s no mistake to say it’s very rich, cheesy, and creamy. It also has a powerful milky taste to it.
What to do with burrata to make sure it is properly appreciated in your meal? You’ll definitely want to pair it with something that can handle that kind of intense flavor. If you’re not careful, the burrata can overwhelm your other food.
How Long Is Burrata Good For?
When you buy burrata from the grocery store, it will probably be good for a few weeks, but once you open it, that’s a different story. After it has been opened, burrata is only going to be fresh and safe to eat for another five days.
Don’t expect it to stay good for longer than that and be careful about eating it after that point.
Be sure to check the expiry date on the packaging, if you bought it. Look for signs of molding, discoloration and changes in smell or flavor after it has been in your fridge for a few days.
What Is Burrata Salad?
Burrata salad can be made with any number of different ingredients, including green leafy vegetables or fruits. I want to share with your method for how to make burrata salad that really makes the most of the flavorful contribution of this cheese.
You want your salad to enhance the burrata’s flavor profile, and one way to make sur that happens is to sprinkle some sea salt and ground black pepper all over the salad. Be generous with these seasonings, but don’t go crazy. If you do it right, they can really bring out the best of this cheese.
I would recommend a bag of spring mix leaves for your salad, which will have some radicchio, baby spinach, red and green lettuce, and baby lettuce, as well as a few other things. You may also want to add some cherry tomatoes and quality croutons.
Because burrata is a specialty cheese that most people only have a couple times in their life, I highly recommend using the finest croutons. You want this salad to be special, because this cheese is pretty special.
Top it all off with some balsamic vinaigrette, which really helps to accentuate the textures of the spring mix, the croutons, and the cheese, and it doesn’t overwhelm or hide the crouton and cheese flavors.
If you like this salad, I definitely suggest trying the burrata cheese with the fruit salad as well. Try pairing it with some oranges, kiwi, bananas, and strawberry to really work the sweet angle of the cheese.
If you tried a salad recipe that you really liked with this cheese or you made some modifications to something I’ve recommended here, let us all know in the comments below.
I'm Pauline, a retired patisserie chef, mother of four and now a full time food blogger! When i'm not cooking i love long walks, reading thriller novels and spending time with my grandkids. Head to my about me page to learn more about the woman behind the food! You can find my Facebook here