Stone Fruit Panzanella Salad

Executive Chef Brad Vigue created this recipe for Meet Your Maker in 2019.

Yield: Four Servings

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Ingredients

Salad

Peach x 1 ea
Nectarine x 1 ea
Heirloom tomato x 600g, assorted size & colour
Arugula x 100g
Burrata cheese x 2 40g ball (see recipe below)
Mint x ¼ cup, rough chop
Basil x ¼ cup, rough chop
Focaccia x 1 pc (6” x 6”)
Champagne vinaigrette x 120 ml (see recipe below)
Olive oil x 200 ml
Black pepper x 3 g
Salt x 10 g

Champagne vinaigrette

Olive oil x 90 ml
Champagne vinegar x 30 ml
Shallot x 15 g – fine dice
Dijon mustard x 5 to 10 ml
Honey x 10 ml
Lemon x 1 ea (zest & juice)
Tabasco x 3 ml (2 shakes)
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Prepare Salad

1. Cut peach and nectarine in half, remove pit, toss with 50 ml olive oil
2. Grill peach & nectarine on char broiler until grill marked
3. Remove from heat, place in fridge immediately to cool
4. Chop mint & basil, keep separate
5. Remove outer edged of focaccia with bread knife (keep for bread crumbs)
6. Tear focaccia into rough 1” pieces, toss with 130ml olive oil, salt & pepper
7. Bake in 350°F oven until light golden, crisp, allow to cool
8. Cut tomatoes, nectarines and peaches into wedges, approximately the same size

Prepare Dressing

1. Combine mustard, shallot, honey, lemon juice, vinegar, tabasco in a bowl and whisk together
2. While whisking, slowly drizzle olive oil in until dressing is emulsified
3. Adjust seasoning
4. Hold for service

Assemble Salad

1. Toss tomatoes with 5 g salt and place in colander (with bowl below to catch liquid, reserve for vinaigrette)
2. Toss arugula, tomatoes, ¾ of basil & mint with vinaigrette, place on platter
3. Top with peaches, nectarines, top with remainder of herbs
4. Place a ball of burrata in centre of platter, top with remainder of olive oil, season with salt & pepper

Make your own Burrata

Yield: 2 x 8 oz burrata balls

Ingredients

• 2 tsp citric acid
• Spring water, as needed
• 1 gallon whole milk, preferably homogenized and pasteurized, but not ultrapasteurized
• 1/2 tablet rennet
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, more as needed
• Kosher salt

Preparation

Make the Curds

• Dissolve the citric acid in ½ cup cool spring water. Pour the milk into a heavy stainless steel pot and let stand 15 minutes. Add the citric acid solution while stirring over medium heat, warm the milk to 88°F to 90°F, stirring frequently.
• Crush the rennet tablet and dissolve in 1/4 cup cool spring water – just before using.
• Remove the milk from the heat, add the rennet solution and stir lightly twice. Let the milk sit for 12 minutes. At this time, the curd (solids) should be pulling away from the whey (liquids). The curd will resemble silken tofu. With a long sharp knife, cut it into 1-inch cubes without removing it from the pot.
• Return the pot to medium-low heat and continually stir the curd until the temperature reaches 105°F, about 5 minutes.
• Place a colander in the sink, and spoon the cooked curds into the colander. (If you want to save the whey, strain the curds over large bowl.) Strain the curds well.

Make the Stracciatella Filling

• Remove one-quarter of the curds to a small bowl.
• Add the cream and 1/2 tsp salt, combining the mixture with your fingers.
• Set aside.
• Transfer the remaining curds to a large bowl.

Making Burrata

• Heat a large pot of water (tap water is fine) until it registers 175°F to 180°F on a digital thermometer.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
• Work 2 Tbs of kosher salt into the curds using your fingers. It will seem like a lot of salt, but don’t worry; most of it will remain in the water.
• Ladle or pour the hot water carefully into the bowl of curds—not directly onto the curds, but around them until they are submerged.
• Let sit for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes.
• Stir the stracciatella filling and add more cream if it appears too dry.
• With your hands, gloved or bare (remember, the water is very hot!), gather half of the curds into a ball, lift it from the bowl and let it stretch back into the water.
• Continue to stretch it until it is shiny and elastic. The curds should immediately and effortlessly stretch. If they don’t, return them to the hot water until they are soft and pliable, and stretch easily.
• Pro Tip: if the water has cooled too much, drain it and add more hot water from the pot.
• Working quickly, gently form the stretched mozzarella into a disk 5 to 6 inches in diameter and about 1/4 inch thick.
• Place the disk in the palm of your hand and carefully spoon 2 to 3 Tbs of the stracciatella filling into the center of the mozzarella disk, adding 2 to 3 Tbs more cream from the bowl. Twist the ball to seal. Place the burrata ball into the ice bath and let it cool until firm, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Repeat the process with the remaining curds, stretching and filling with the remaining stracciatella filling.
• Serve the burrata immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve within 48 hours.