Russ Parsons' Bruschetta with Burrata and Radicchio Marmalade

It's been a while since I've made a Russ Parsons recipe. Because if all I ever did was write about slam-dunk recipes, you'd all be snoring your way through this blog. Or maybe that'd just be me? Either way, Russ knows his recipes. Whether he's having you puree boiled greens with cooked rice to make a delicate soup, or steam potatoes to serve under an aromatic and earthy hash of mushrooms, Russ brings you Seriously Good Food. So it was no surprise to me that his latest recipe was yet another smash hit.

In last week's LA Times, Russ wrote about burrata - an Apulian knot of mozzarella filled with rags of molten cheese and cream. In Italy, it's difficult to find burrata outside of the small region that produces it (I have some family in a town in that region and have had the most distinct pleasure of eating burrata there. It's quite the gustatory experience, and totally decadent, especially for someone raised by people with more ascetic, Lutheran sensibilities. Have you ever heard of anyone eating cream-filled cheese in northern Europe?), but of course California being California, Russ tracked down an Italian immigrant running a healthy business producing burrata in Los Angeles.

And that is great news for all of us. Because if Russ hadn't tracked down the burrata maker, he wouldn't have printed a recipe for toasted bread with sauteed radicchio topped with a dollop of cream and cheese, and we'd all be the poorer for it. I had friends coming over for dinner on Friday, and figured I'd start our dinner with a tray of these crostini passed around. After all, a weekend that started with these crostini could be a very good weekend, indeed (and it was. Dinner with friends! A Spike Lee Joint! Brooklyn Real Estate Hunting! A Blogger Meet-up!). In New York, it's not too difficult to find burrata - it gets flown in from Italy and is sold at Garden of Eden, Zabar's and Buon Italia, to name a few stores.

The radicchio marmalade was a cinch: nothing more than a hot panful of sliced radicchio cooked down with garlic cloves, oil, salt and balsamic vinegar. While that cooked, I sliced baguette rounds and toasted them. Each round got a spoonful of radicchio and a gently torn-apart piece of burrata, taking care to include both outer layer and filling. I forgot both the oil drizzling and pepper cracking on top, and still my guests and I couldn't stop eating the crostini. Crunchy bread with silky, pungent radicchio, capped with softly unctuous cheese that was fresh and barely sour: this bruschetta was delicious beyond words. And though it was utterly original and different, it tasted just like Italy.

Since I halved the recipe, I had leftover burrata to contend with. It was pretty easy getting rid of it. Some got eaten cold from the fridge with a fork the next day, after I'd spent seven hard hours baking bread with the big league and needed something - anything - to keep me alive. The rest of it I chopped up fine and dumped into a bowl of hot pasta with barely cooked tomatoes in basil oil for lunch today - the residual heat from the pasta and sauce melted the burrata, which in turn coated the spaghetti strands with creamy, wonderful flavor. Not a bad way to start the week off, either.

Bruschetta with Burrata and Radicchio Marmalade
Serves 8

1 pound radicchio, preferably di Treviso
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
5 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 baguette
1/2 pound burrata
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Trim ends, then cut each head of radicchio into lengthwise quarters and then into cross-wise ribbons about 1/4-inch wide. Combine the radicchio in a cold skillet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, salt and balsamic vinegar. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the radicchio has softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the radicchio is quite soft and the bitterness has cooked out, about 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and perhaps just a little more balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat and set aside. Remove the garlic before serving.

3. Slice the baguette into half-inch slices and toast until lightly browned on both sides.

4. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of radicchio marmalade onto each slice of bread and top with a similarly sized spoonful of burrata (try to get both the filling and the wrapping in each spoonful). Sprinkle each with a light grinding of black pepper and a drizzle of the remaining olive oil and serve.

Comments

[pam]

can i just say i'm addicted to your blog now? haven't had the courage to actually cook anything from it yet, but i check several times a day to see if a new entry is up. yay for new posts!

unfortunately, won't be trying this one either, seeing as i can't even find meyer lemons here, much less exotic cheese...

[Lindy]

This sounds so insanely good. I wonder if you could maybe just put some of that burrata, just a little bit, in an envelope...

I love cooked radicchio. I had some marinated and grilled at a friend's house last summer that was awesome.

[Julie]

Wow! That really does sound good. I am craving this stuff.

[tanvi]

I wish I knew where he found the burrata in LA! Though I'll be in Italy soon so I guess I'll be patient. It sounds amazing, though :-)

[Molly]

I read about burrata a while ago in an old piece by David Rosengarten (or was it Jeffrey Steingarten? I can never keep them straight), and after much fruitless searching in Seattle, finally found it in New York last September, at Fairway. It was HEAVEN. Dear sweet baby Jesus.

I can only imagine it with radicchio - really, was there ever a more perfect pairing of flavors? I'm drooling over here, with nary a burrata in sight. Sniffle, sniffle.

[amanda]

It's just evil that the rest of us non-New Yorkers have to suffer while seeing the Burrata and reading this recipe knowing full well we won't be able to find it (and eat it)! otherwise, this sounds amazing.

[Sabrina]

Nice recipe... I like it!
Very nice your blog.

Ciao.

[Rebecca]

Ditto everyone else's comments on how divine this sounds. Lindy, do you think there's a snowball's chance we could find burrata in Pittsburgh? We do have those Italian shops down in the Strip, or we could ask W.F. to order it, maybe?

I even looked up the town to see if Bill and I would be anywhere near it when we go to Italy in the fall but had a hard time making sense of the website since it was all IN ITALIAN, Luisa! ;-) I'm willing to drive long distances for food...

[Luisa]

Pam - thank you! I'm so glad you're liking the blog. It's tough to find burrata in Louisiana, I imagine, but maybe the mussel soup would be easier to source?

Lindy - I know, cooking it makes such a difference, toning down some of that bitterness. As for shipping you a spoonful of burrata, I'd be glad to! If only I could find a waterproof envelope...

Tanvi - Russ did mention where you can buy it in LA: "Burrata is available at several markets around town, but because it is a highly perishable product with a short shelf life, made in relatively small quantities by only two producers, it often goes out of stock. Look for Gioia's burrata at Bristol Farms stores; Wally's Wine & Spirits in Los Angeles, (310) 475-0606; Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica, (310) 395-8279 and other small markets. Cantaré Food's burrata is carried at Whole Foods markets and at Tutto Latte Express in Hollywood, (323) 463-1879. Both usually sell for about $10 a pound." But of course eating it in Italy might be even more fun!

Molly - Fairway really is paradise. I'll bet you could attempt to approximate it by making a mixture of mozzarella and ricotta if you were feeling enterprising... or just wait for your next visit to NYC.

Amanda - Oh, I feel cruel. I'm sorry! A reason to visit the city? :)

Sabrina - thank you!

Rebecca - there's a nifty little map on that website that shows Apulia to be basically the heel of the boot that is Italy. It's a coastal region, and Bari is its largest city. Where will you be in Italy?

[Jessika]

Oh I want burrata too!!!! Desperately!!! The cheese shops where I live didn't have it (I didn't think they would). My next trip will involve a cheese excursion :).

[tanvi]

Luisa, thanks so much for that info! I know where almost all of those places are, but never have known to look for burrata. I'm on a mission now to procure some :-)

[Leland]

Did you see this piece in Leite's?

http://www.leitesculinaria.com/food_history/burrata.html

I saw the burrata at Garden of Eden but I knew we wouldn't have time to eat it before leaving for vacation this Friday. I'm definitely trying this recipe when we get back, though.

[Sofia Tower]

I am new to your log and am also quite ADDICTED to it. Thank goodness for someone like you! I have tried many of the recipes already-- the lemon pizza (how do you get the lemons thin enough?), lemon chicken with the creme fraiche, the cucumber potato salad... to name a few. All fabulous... I drooled when I saw that article about burrata a few weeks ago and DID see it at Bay Cities in Santa Monica last time I went. I will definately be trying the recipe! Thanks for everything.

-Sofia

[eg]

Thank you for the link to Buon Italia. We don't have buratta in DC (I don't think) but I will be in Italy this fall, visiting my mother, and will try to remember to try this.

I was very excited to see that Buon Italia sometimes stocks Pocket Coffees. I can't find them anywhere and my mother never sends more than a handful.

[Devany]

Fantastico! I just came across your blog (and I love it!) while doing a search on things to do with Burrata. I recently moved to the Bay area from Chicago and had a difficult time finding real Italian Burrata here. There are several Californian companys that sell and make it, but it really tastes differnt than the Burrata we ate in Puglia and that I could get in Chicago. Lo and Behold... walking through Whole Foods last week, there it was sitting prettily in a tub of ice. I really did not care how much it cost, because anyone who has tasted the ambrosia of Italian Burrata will pay almost anything for it. In this case it was $22 a pound and I bought a half pound. I had it last night with tomatoes from my garden and I am going back today for more. THIS is the holy grail of fresh cheese.

Ciao! ~devany

[Nick]

I'm a New Yorker living in London. British food not too great, but I can find great ingredients from Italy and Spain that aren't easily available in the US.

I just picked up burrata yesterday from my italian foodshop at the corner. I had a radicchio lying around so I'm going to make this tonight.

happy eating

[Jazzy1]

I just stumbled across this blog and it is absolutely wonderful.

I am going to try this tonight.

Heading down to Buon Italia to pick some burrata up. I think I will pair it with a pinot grigio.

[Lisa N Y C]

Just got back from a trip to Italy a few days ago and the highlight of the trip was burrata. In our case we got in twice in the supermarket in Rome - it was indeed a taste of heaven.
the first time we had it we had also found roman pizza - which is like a thin foccacia with rosemary, salt and evoo and the burrata smeared on the bread was just so delicious.

next time the bread was more of a country peasant bread but the star was the burrata, with fresh tomato, fresh basil and raddiccio - all from the supermarket alas.

I know now to look for it at chelsea market and team it up with some good bread from amy's or sullivan street.

the recipe sounds simply divine...

[Geri]

Sounds great and radicchio is so good for you. When examined solely for its antioxidant capabilities, radiccio is an antioxidant powerhouse compared to other fruits and vegetables.

[TDea]

Just a few days ago discovered your blog...lovely. When I saw the title of this recipe I thought, Oh My God, that must be delicious! When I made it I thought Oh My God this is delicious!!!!!