Grilled Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Burrata Platter #BBQWeek

This week, Ellen of Family Around the Table and Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures have us sharing recipes for the grill. This is one of my favorite blogging weeks of the year! I love prepping food and handing it off to Jake to grill for me.

• BBQ Grilled Corn on the Cob by The Spiffy Cookie
• Brown Butter Blondies by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Calico Beans with Hamburger by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Creamy Patriotic Blueberry Jello Fruit Salad by Daily Dish Recipes
• Easy White Bean Salad by Caroline's Cooking
• Grilled Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Burrata Platter by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Grilled Pineapple Salsa by Food Above Gold
• Grilled Pork Thai Bowl by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled strawberry shortcake by Our Good Life
• Grilled Tuscan Chicken Flatbreads by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Grilled Vegetables with Whipped Avocado Feta Dip by Kate's Recipe Box
• Herb Grilled Lobster Tails by Family Around the Table
• Honey Citrus Chicken Sandwiches by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Jalapeno Bacon Baked Beans by Sweet Beginnings
• Kaiser Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Red Skinned Potato Salad by The Beard and The Baker
• Salami and Cream Cheese Roll Ups by Cookaholic Wife
• S'mores Bars by Back To My Southern Roots
• Strawberry Green Iced Tea by Palatable Pastime

Grilled Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Burrata Platter

Along with my grilled sweet potatoes and grilled spiced octopus, I wanted to serve a Mediterranean-inspired platter. And burrata is always a family favorite!

In case you are unfamiliar, burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside is a mixture of mozzarella and cream. In Italian burrata means "buttered."

Ingredients

• 1 pound organic, stem-on tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 5 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 organic globe eggplant, sliced into thick coins
• olive oil, for brushing + more for grill
• organic fresh basil leaves
• 2 balls burrata cheese , room temperature and quartered

Procedure

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for high heat cooking; a grill pan on the stove would also work.

Chop off the top and bottom of the eggplants and slice ½" rounds. Brush each coin generously with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

When grill is ready, cook the eggplant until it's softened, approximately 5 minutes per side. If eggplant seems dry, brush on a little more oil while cooking. Remove from grill to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and set aside.

Grill the tomatoes until they just have a nice char on the cut side. Set aside.

Assemble dish by arranging the grilled eggplants and tomatoes on a platter. Nestle in chunks of burrata cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Add a few basil leaves for garnish.

Serve warm with crusty bread and a good red wine.