I recently enjoyed a delicious dinner with friends at Cube on La Brea. If you’ve never been, I really recommend it, especially if you’re a cheese lover–they feature 85 different varieties from all over the world. It’s where I first fell in love with aged gouda, so I’m forever grateful.
Cube’s always-seasonal menu is filled with plenty cheese-centric dishes, including the Heirloom Tomato and Fresh Peach Salad, which was such a standout of the wine and small plates feast we had, that I had to recreate it at home.
This is a very simple salad–peaches, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar–but the flavors are out of hand. The salad at Cube includes buffalo mozzarella, but we went full-force with burrata, which is more decadent. When the cream spills out, it mixes so nicely with the oil and vinegar. Make sure you have some bread on hand to sop it up!
Good burrata is fairly simple to find. I’m sure they have it at any of the cheese stores in Silverlake as well as Whole Foods or any other “fancy” store. If you live by an Italian market, even better. I don’t recommend the burrata at Trader Joe’s, which is a good price but a little bland. If you invest in a good one, you can use any leftovers to add pizazz to pasta or a dinner salad.
Directions: Once you have your ingredients, just slice the tomatoes and peaches–I used half an heirloom and one whole peach for mine. Place the slices around the edge of the plate and then plop a big scoop of buratta in the middle. Next, drizzle your olive oil and balsamic vinegar (preferably fruity-flavored) all over, including a few drops on the cheese. Finish with the basil, and voilà, you’ve got an impressive summer salad. Serve it with crusty bread and a light summer wine.
–Valentina
Other Eat at Home posts:
Eat at Home: Elf-Inspired Shallot Yogurt and Figs
Eat at Home: Don’t-Hold-the-Anchovies Pizza
