Name: Burrata Bruschetta
Ingredients: 8-10 oz. cherry tomatoes (sliced into thirds); 1/4 cup basil (thinly sliced or chiffonade ); 1/4 cup minced shallot; 2 tsp minced garlic; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling); 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 1/8 tsp salt (plus more to taste if desired); Pepper to taste; 1 baguette or bread of your choice (sliced into 1/2 - 1 inch thick slices); 2 whole cloves of garlic (sliced in half ); 8 oz. burrata (I used two 4 oz. balls ); 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Burrata Bruschetta

Serves pieces of bruschetta

Bruschetta made with creamy burrata and fresh, sweet cherry tomatoes tossed in garlic, shallots, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Top it with a balsamic reduction and you have a delicious appetizer that's perfect for any summer night.

Balsamic Reduction

NOTE: If making a balsamic reduction, make the reduction before you make the bruschetta so it has time to cool.
Heat a sauce pan over medium high heat. Pour the balsamic vinegar into the sauce pan and heat until it begins to boil. Mix every so often, letting it boil for 3-5 minutes, until the liquid reduces to about half the amount and has a thicker, syrupy consistency. To make sure it's ready, dip a spoon into the glaze and if it coats the spoon and sticks to the spoon when you take it out, then its ready.
Pour it into a jar or glass to cool in the fridge while you make the bruschetta.

Burrata Bruschetta

In a bowl, combine the sliced tomatoes, minced shallots, minced garlic, basil, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Mix together and then add salt and pepper to taste. Set the tomato mixture aside and let those tomatoes soak in all that flavaaaa!!!
Set the oven broiler to high.
Spread out the slices of bread onto a sheet pan. (They should be cozy but not overcrowded.) Drizzle olive oil on top of the slices of bread. Put into the oven on the second highest rack and broil for 2-3 minutes. Keep a very close eye on them as they are toasting, because every broiler is different and they can be toasted within 1 minute if you have a gas broiler!
When the bread is toasted to your liking (I prefer extra crisp) remove it from the oven. Congrats, your bread has evolved into beautiful crostini!!! Set them aside to cool.
Place the burrata on a cutting board and break it open with a knife (ah, how satisfying.) Slice into small pieces.
Line the crostini on a cutting board. Take one of the whole garlic cloves and rub it on a crostini. Repeat with each crostini. You'll notice as you keep rubbing the garlic onto the crostini, the garlic clove will begin to dwindle down in size and become smaller. Once the first garlic clove is too small to rub onto the crostini, use the second clove. Continue until you have no more garlic left.
Next, top the garlicky crostini with small pieces of burrata, making sure to get the firm part of the cheese along with the creamy cheese curd.
Top each burrata crostini with some tomato mixture and then pour any leftover balsamic, garlicky liquid all over the bruschetta.
Plate the bruschetta on a plate or platter of your choice, then top it off with a beautiful balsamic drizzle! Serve immediately!

Burrata Bruschetta