We were in California recently, and had the opportunity to dine at AOC, one of the restaurants from award winning chef, Suzanne Goin. The menu is filled with an amazing array of small plates, meant to be shared. Good thing, since I don’t know how I could have narrowed in on just one or two of the seasonal and flavorful dishes on the list.
One of the first thing to come out of the kitchen was a salad made of grilled peaches and burrata, the soft, runny cousin of mozzarella. Sometimes, the simplest of dishes are the best, when the ingredients are fresh, and skillfully prepared.
The next evening, we were at a wedding, where the meal began with a green salad, topped with burrata, candied walnuts and a grilled peach.
I’ve been dreaming of it since we returned, so this weekend, I made my own version, and I’m pretty sure it will be on heavy rotation around here, until the peaches go out of season.
Grilled Peach and Burrata Salad:
For the peaches:
Rinse and halve the peaches, and remove the pit. Cut into quarters and brush the flesh with pure maple syrup. Melt butter on a grill pan, and grill each side until you see grill marks. At this point, they will be slightly caramelized. Remove from the pan, and brush them with the maple syrup again.
For the salad:
Toss baby arugula with a little olive oil and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar. Lay the peaches and chunks of burrata on top. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and a drizzle of the oil and vinegar, and enjoy!
For a little added crunch, toss some shelled pistachios on top.
*If you don’t have a good, aged balsamic, make a reduction with the kind you have, to create a more mellow flavor, and an almost syrupy consistancy to drizzle. Simply cook a small amount of balsamic vinegar in a pan until it starts to reduce.
Tags: arugula, burrata, California cuisine. AOC. unrecipe of the week, grilled peaches, salad
Indigo jones 
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