Peaches and Burrata with Pickled Shallot
AUTHOR NOTES
I spend summer in a sweet, peachy haze. These super-juicy suckers without doubt have a hold on me. Ridiculously aromatic and so tender at the height of the season, the fruit is almost seductive. This modern Caprese salad is a love letter to those golden jewels. In this dish, sweet and tangy pickled shallots mingle with ripe peaches and burrata, the creamiest cheese known to man. The result is intensely satisfying and super simple to throw together!
A note on the herbs: I used purple opal basil, as it was abundant at the farm stand and so visually arresting, but it is certainly not essential to the dish. Standard green basil will offer the same herbaceous flavor.
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces burrata
2 Ripe peaches, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup torn fresh basil, both green and purple, if you can find it
1/4 cup Pickled Shallots, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons of pickling liquid
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, for serving
1 lime
DIRECTIONS
Makes 4 servings
Roughly tear the burrata, pulling it apart at the center, and arranging it on a plate. Top it with the peaches, basil, and pickled shallots. Drizzle with the oil and pickling liquid. Season with flaky sea salt and pepper and finish by zesting the lime directly over the salad.
Swoon Tip: This salad is the best kind of artful mess, but there is a method to making it look perfectly imperfect. Start with an oval or rectangular plate large enough to allow negative space on all sides. Turn it vertically and anchor the dish with mounds of burrata at the top and bottom, then arrange the peaches in a loose "s" shape, topping them with a disorderly smattering of shallots and herbs.
Photography by Johnny Miller
Purchase your copy of Cook Beautiful today!
Athena Calderone is a multidisciplinary creative whose work spans design and entertaining. Whether she is layering flavors in the kitchen, setting a bountiful table, or designing an entire room, Athena is renowned for her graceful yet juxtaposed pairings. Across her creative endeavors, she is fueled by her belief that beautiful food and thoughtful design brings people together and transforms little moments into lasting memories.
Deemed “the modern girl’s Martha Stewart” by the New York Times, she has written two books, Cook Beautiful (Abrams 2017) and Live Beautiful (Abrams 2020), which expand on her culinary and design content that she regularly publishes on Eyeswoon. Her cookbook, Cook Beautiful received the highest culinary honor – a James Beard Award for photography. Live Beautiful is both a showpiece of exquisite design, and a guide to creating a home that is thoughtfully put together. Before it even hit the shelves, Live Beautiful was ranked number one on Amazon’s prestigious bestseller list. Top international brands regularly invite Athena to lend her design eye and culinary talents to creative direction projects.
Athena has also recently launched a podcast, More Than One Thing, where she interviews multi-hyphenate talents whose creative interests have led them on a nonlinear career path. Through raw and honest conversations with dynamic creatives, it is revealed how each person navigated road blocks, pushed through uncertainties, and challenged themselves to explore a variety of professional endeavors.
She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, son, and puppy.
Portrait by Stephanie Stanley
