From Chef's Table · 2015- · Reconstructed
Mozza Caprese
Serve when
Serve when Nancy Silverton stands at the marble mozzarella bar, building a caprese around burrata pulled fresh that morning.
In the series
Volume 3
- S3E3 · ~00:22:35 Nancy Silverton composes a caprese at Osteria Mozza's marble Mozzarella Bar, built around fresh burrata rather than plain mozzarella
In the series
Silverton's whole reputation was built on knowing when a dish needs almost no technique at all — burrata, a good tomato, oil, salt. The episode frames the Mozzarella Bar as the plainest expression of her cooking: the confidence to serve three or four ingredients and trust that they're good enough on their own.
Ingredients
Method
- Bring the burrata to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving — cold burrata doesn't give the same creamy pull.
- Arrange the tomato slices on a platter and season them with salt before adding anything else, so they release a little of their own juice.
- Tear the burrata open over the tomatoes so the creamy interior spills across the plate.
- Scatter basil leaves, drizzle generously with olive oil, and finish with a few drops of aged balsamic, cracked pepper, and more flaky salt.
- Serve immediately, with bread to catch the burrata.
Substitutions
- Heirloom tomatoes: Use whatever tomato is genuinely in season and full-flavored — the dish depends entirely on the tomato and the burrata being at their best, since there's nowhere for a mediocre one to hide.