Burrata with Tangerines, Shallots, and Watercress from “Dining In”

I love to listen to food podcasts when I walk (does this sound counterproductive?) and when both Bon Apetit and Chef Jamie Gwen interviewed Alison Roman in the same week I knew I had to get my hands on her cook book,”Dining In.” After working in restaurants in NY and San Francisco she landed a job as Senior Food Editor at Bon Apetit, where the recipes she developed gained a following. After a few years Alison left the magazine to write this new cookbook (which was sold out when I tried to order it on Amazon. Wow.) She called the focus “vegetable forward” but there are recipes for everything else as well, including a whole chapter on condiments that had Chef Jamie Gwen going crazy.

Alison is witty, irreverent, entertaining and clearly committed to sharing her wisdom with the home cook. Her mission statement begins with “I promise that I will never ask you to make something in two skillets when it can be made in one “……and ends with “I promise that you will learn at least one thing that will make you a better and more independent cook for the rest of your life.” There is much editorializing and story-telling alongside the recipes; the kind of cookbook you want to sit down with a cup of tea and read cover to cover. So many recipes I can’t wait to try. You get the feeling she would like you to call her up and tell her how they turned out.

I served this in the mid-morning, but it would also be good at lunch or as an appetizer served with some crisp bread toasts. With so few ingredients, it’s important they all be top notch; best quality cheese and sweet fresh citrus. The thing I learned that I will now always do is to let a sliced shallot soak in lemon juice for 5 minutes before proceeding with the salad dressing. Makes a difference for some reason.

1 shallot, thinly sliced into rings

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (8-oz.) ball burrata cheese

3 tangerines, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick (add other sweet citrus if you have it!)

3 cups small spicy greens, such as watercress, mizuna, or arugula

Olive oil, for drizziling

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Toss the shallot with the lemon juice in a small bowl and season with kosher salt and pepper; let sit 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Depending on how ripe the burrata is, you can tear, slice, or cut it into a few pieces and arrange them on a large serving platter (the riper the cheese, the runnier it will be, making it more difficult to slice, so I recommend tearing.)

Scatter the tangerine slices around the burrata. Combine the shallot and the spicy greens, and season them with kosher salt and pepper. Toss to coat and scatter the mixture around the tangerines and burrata.

Drizzle all over with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Serves 4.