The Honest Haul: Torn Figs + Burrata

In my last post, I talked a little bit about food that (for lack of better words) has blown my mind (normally things that involve real truffles, silky eggs, or excessive amounts of bacon). The first time I ever had burrata, I was a little upset that I hadn’t discovered cream-cheese-stuffed mounds of mozzarella balls sooner. Since then, I always get a little excited to see them on a menu, because it’s very rare to find them at a grocery store. However, after doing a bit of research – I discovered that one of my favorite Italian markets (best known for their hot subs and pizza) in Arlington makes them fresh – The Italian Store.

Another rare find is a fruit that you’ll only see at the market during the fall season – figs. When Summer comes to an end, I normally keep an eye out at the farmer’s market to see which local growers have them first. This year, I noticed them at The Local Market in Falls Church (a great organic market that’s open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for those who don’t like waking up on Saturday mornings for the farmer’s market) while I was shopping for heirloom tomatoes (which also go well with burrata). Figs are very juicy, soft, and have a subtle sweetness that goes great with cheese. They go bad very quickly, so if you find them – eat them within the next few days.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy figs is with Michael Chiarello‘s torn fig & burrata recipe from his Napa Valley restaurant’s cookbook, Bottega. It’s a very simple recipe, and takes only a few minutes to make.

Ingredients:

• Fresh figs
• Burrata
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Optional: Rosemary

Enjoy!

 P.S. When choosing figs, make sure they’re soft, plump, and don’t have bruises. They’re very delicate, so even a tiny poke can tear their skin, leaking juice everywhere, so be careful handling them.

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Tagged as: burrata, farm fresh, figs, italian, olive oil