Red, White and Blueberry Caprese Salad
A delicious way to celebrate the 4th! Pair seasonally ripe blueberries with roasted tomatoes and garlic for a tangy, savory and sweet, creamy Burrata salad in one patriotic salute to the palate!
Red, White, and Blueberry Caprese Salad
1 pound cherry, grape, sungold, or other small tomatoes ¼ cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ teaspoon garlic powder 4 large cloves garlic, peeled 2 - 3 balls Burrata cheese, packed in water, 8 ounces 8 - 10 large basil leaves, cut into thin strips, chiffonade style top of 1 large basil stem with leaves, for garnish 2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed
For the Dressing:
4 tablespoons olive oil 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 - 10-inch slices of a crusty loaf of bread, such as French or Italian, cut diagonally
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and remove stems from tomatoes. Place in a glass baking dish so that the tomatoes are not overlapping, then add whole garlic cloves, oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss tomatoes with other ingredients in the baking dish.
-Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through the baking time. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Set aside. (If there is too much liquid for your taste, drain some of it off.)
-Make the salad dressing by whisking the olive oil into the balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-Gently toss the blueberries and sliced basil with the cooled tomatoes, then spoon into a medium open salad bowl, or on a platter with curved edges. Place the Burrata cheese balls in the center and top each with the chopped, roasted garlic. Pour the salad dressing generously over the salad and Buratta cheese. Garnish with the basil cluster. Sprinkle the entire platter with a bit more olive oil and freshly grated black pepper. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Makes about 6 servings.
For Crostini -
Brush slices of bread on each side with olive oil, then place on a baking tray. Place in a 375-degree oven and toast for about 10 minutes, until crusty and golden around the edges of each piece. Remove from oven and set aside.
Roasted tomatoes and garlic, tossed with blueberries in a tangy basil vinaigrette - who’d have thought it would be delicious!
Garnish with strips of fresh basil leaves and extra ground pepper.
Creamy Buratta cheese is the star with roasted garlic on top. And don’t forget the crusty bread to serve alongside for some extra crunch and to use as a scooper!
