Never Waste a Great Flavor

This recipe was made nearly by accident! I had leftovers in the fridge that I didn’t want to go to waste: half a loaf of bread, one ball of burrata, and a bunch of fresh herbs. Luckily for me, those flavors seemed to fall into place seamlessly. Simply adding some chopped capers for a little salty goodness and olive oil and vinegar to bring it all together, and a perfect appetizer has been born.  Never again will I let fresh herbs go to waste!

The best part of this recipe, it’s essentially a template for a delicious appetizer, not a strict blueprint.  You can switch out the herbs, types of bread, vinegar, or oil with whatever you have on hand, and it will completely transform the flavors.  You can serve it for the same crowd over and over again and keep people guessing!  It also helps reduce waste, by letting you use the items already in your fridge.  If you need to buy an entire bunch of herbs, but only are going to use a small amount, you can use the rest for this recipe!

Tips for a Successful Recipe

When making a “leftover herb” and caper vinaigrette with burrata and toasts, here are a few tips to help make sure you’re sitting pretty:

• Use soft herbs, rather than hard herbs when making this vinaigrette!  Essentially any combination of soft herbs will meld together beautifully – think basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, or chives.  For mine, I used a combination of dill, parsley, and chives (herbs to avoid include rosemary, thyme, or oregano).
• If you’re buying burrata, make sure you use it within the “best buy” or “use within X days of opening” dates.  If not, your burrata will oversaturate with the water it’s stored in and lose some of its magic
• Feel free to get creative with your toasts!  I had a loaf of fresh, wheat bread that I wanted to use, but a sourdough, ciabatta, or pita would also be delicious!  If you do use a different kind of bread, adjust the baking time slightly – if it’s a thinner slice, cut down the baking times and keep an eye on it!

Recipe Details

To start making this recipe, you’ll toast your bread.  If your bread is cut about an inch thick, lightly coat both sides with a bit of olive oil and toast in a 350° oven for 5 minutes.  Flip the bread to the other side and toast for another 3 minutes.

While the bread is toasting, whip up the herb and caper vinaigrette. Roughly chop your herbs and capers and add them to a bowl.  Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar into the bowl and give it a good stir.  Season with black pepper and taste, adjusting any flavor as needed.  If you can taste one herb over the others, consider adding more of the ones you cannot taste to balance it out.

When ready to serve, place a ball of burrata onto a serving plate and spoon the herb vinaigrette over the top. Arrange the toasts around the burrata and then break into the burrata with a spoon to expose the creamy center – this will help make it easier to dig in!

Loving this burrata salad?  You should also try my heirloom tomato and burrata caprese salad – it’s another absolute favorite!

If you make this citrus salad with crispy shallots and burrata, I’d love to hear how it goes! Be sure to tag @lauralovestocook in your photos and leave a review below!

xxoxx laur

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Herb and Caper Vinaigrette with Burrata and Toast

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Baked Cuisine: American Courses: Appetizer

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 10 mins Total Time 20 mins

Cooking Temp: 350  °F Servings: 6

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Dietary:

N Nut Free V Vegetarian

Description

An easy appetizer made with the leftover fresh herbs in your fridge and capers over creamy burrata, served with crispy toast points

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 3-4 tbsp fresh soft herbs (such as dill, parsley, cilantro, or chives), chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp champagne vinegar (or light colored vinegar of your choice)
• Pinch of black pepper
• 6-8 slices of fresh bread (1 inch thick)
• 1 small ball of burrata

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350° and lightly coat a rimmed baking tray with ⅕ tablespoon of olive oil.  Line the slices of bread on the baking tray and drizzle the top side of the bread with another ½ olive oil.  

2. Toast the slices of bread in the oven for 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven, flip the slices of bread to the other side and place back in the oven for an additional 3 minutes.

3. While the bread is toasting, mix the 3-4 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs into a small bowl with the 1 tablespoon of chopped capers, 3-4 teaspoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of champagne vinegar, and a pinch of salt.  Taste the mixture and adjust any flavors as needed, such as adding more of a certain spice, black pepper, or olive oil.

4. Place the ball of burrata on the serving plate.  Spoon the herb and caper mixture over the top and line the toasts around the center.  Right before serving, break open the burrata to expose the creamy center to help people dig in!