My wife and I had an appetizer like this at an Italian restaurant in Carlsbad last week, and I thought I would add some smoke to the burrata cheese and give it a shot. It came out just as I wanted, and my vegetarian wife loved it. I will surely make this smoked burrata appetizer often from now on.
Cold Smoked Burrata Cheese
Here is the process for cold-smoking the burrata cheese on my Camp Chef Woodwind Pro pellet grill. First, I made sure my burrata cheese was very cold. Burrata is a delicate, soft cheese, so I did not want it to melt or cook during the cold-smoking process.
I used the grill’s Fan-Only mode and manually started the wood chunks in the Woodwind Pro’s smoker box with a torch. I did not want to heat the grill more than needed. I just wanted the smoke to circulate around the cheese without cooking it.
I placed the cheese on my Camp Chef Woodwind Pro grill for about 10 minutes, rotating it every 2-3 minutes. After 10 minutes on the smoke, I rinsed the cheese off and placed it back in the original container and placed it back in the fridge so the cheese could absorb some of the smoke flavor and stay cold until I served it.
Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta
While the cheese was chilling in the fridge, I made the roasted cherry tomato bruschetta. To start, coat the Flavor Bomb cherry tomatoes in olive oil and sprinkle them with a bit of Italian seasoning before placing them on a hot grill.
Add olive oil, fresh pressed garlic, fresh chopped basil, and salt to the roasted tomatoes and still gently with a spatula. Try not to break the roasted tomatoes too much. Place the mixture in the refrigerator. The bruschetta should be cold when you serve it.
Once the smoked burrata and roasted bruschetta are cold, you can toast the bread. Start by slicing the baguette diagonally to make longer pieces. Butter one side of each slice and sprinkle with garlic salt. Place the slices on a baking sheet and broil the bread until the top starts to brown.
Place the cold-smoked burrata cheese in the middle of a serving dish and add the roasted cherry tomato bruschetta around the cheese. Drizzle some olive oil over the burrata and score the top of the burrata cheese a few times with a sharp knife so it opens up. Place the crostini around the outside of the serving dish, and you are ready to serve this great-looking, fresh-tasting appetizer. Include a serving spoon so guests can scoop up some burrata and bruschetta to place on that bread. Try this and let me know how you like the smoked burrata with roasted cherry tomato bruschetta appetizer.
Smoked Burrata with Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Cherry Tomatoes I used Flavor Bombs Cherry Tomatoes from Costco.
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil Extra Virgin
- 2 Cloves Garlic Smash the garlic in a press
- 12 Leaves Basil Finely chopped
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 loaf Baguette Sliced diagonally
- 1/4 Cup Butter Lightly coat the bread
- 1 tbsp Garlic Salt Sprinkly on the buttered baquette bread
Instructions
- Cold-smoke the Burrata Cheese, rinse it with water, put it back inside the container, and refrigerate for at least an hour after taking it off the grill.
- Prepare the cherry tomatoes for grilling by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
- Roast the Flavor Bomb cherry tomatoes on the grill.
- Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil, the pressed garlic, more Italian seasoning, salt, and chopped fresh basil, and mix it softly with a spatula. Try not to crush the roasted cherry tomatoes. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until the bruschetta is cold.
- Slice the baguette bread at an angle. Butter the bread slices and sprinkle with garlic salt. Place the bread in the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top.
- Place the cold-smoked burrata cheese in the middle of a serving dish and fill it with the roasted cherry tomato bruschetta. Drizzle the cheese with olive oil. Place the toasted baguette bread (crostini) around the outside and serve.
Great appetizer, and it was enough for a lot of people. Everyone loved it.