Skip to main content

Improv Cooking Challenge: Burrata and Bartlett-Vanilla Bean Jam Crostini


Welcome to the November 2019 version of Improv Cooking Challenge. This group is headed up by Nichole of Cookaholic Wife. And I haven't been very good about participating, but I love the idea of the group, so I will try to be better in the coming months.


The idea behind Improv Cooking Challenge: we are assigned two ingredients and are challenged to create a recipe with those two things. This month's items: pears and dairy. Here's what the crew is sharing...
  • Sour Cream Pear Pie by Pandemonium Noshery
  • Pear Hand Pies by Cookaholic Wife
  • Pear and Port Cheese Spread by Palatable Pastime
  • Burrata and Bartlett-Vanilla Bean Jam Crostini by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
  • Poached Pears In Cinnamon & Red Wine With Ice Cream by Sneha's Recipe
  • Caramelized Pear and Brie Rolls by A Day in the Life on the Farm


    Burrata and Bartlett-Vanilla Bean Jam Crostini 
    When I was brainstorming at the table about what dairy would go well with pears, the boys voted for burrata which 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."

Bartlett-Vanilla Bean Jam

I love making jam for its versatility in both sweet and savory applications. For a sweet, I would use this in a thumbprint cookie (such as this one, it doesn't have to be gluten-free!); for a savory, use it in a glaze over oven-roasted chicken thighs (similar to this one). Or this...burrata and bartlett-vanilla bean jam crostini is delicious!

Ingredients
Bartlett-Vanilla Bean Jam
  • 6 Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced
  • 2 C organic granulated sugar
  • juice from 2 lemons, divided
  • zest from 2 lemons
  • 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
  • 1/4 C water

Crostini
  • baguette slices, toasted
  • prosciutto di parma
  • burrata

Procedure

Bartlett-Vanilla Bean Jam
Place all of the ingredients - except the juice from 1 of the lemons - in a large flat-bottom pan. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pears are tender, approximately 15 minutes. Mash the fruit with a potato masher as the pears soften. Keep simmering until the liquid has thickened to the point where a path remains if you drag a spoon through the center. Stir in the last of the lemon juice. Remove the vanilla pod.

Place the jam in sterilized jars, leaving about a 1/2" gap to the top. Gently tap the bottom of each jar on the counter to release any air bubbles. Using a damp clean towel, wipe the rims of the jars and secure the lids and rings. Process in a water bath for 10-15 minutes. Remove the containers with tongs and let cool on the counter.

You’ll hear the sound of tops popping shortly—a sign that a secure seal has been made. Or, you can refrigerate the jar without processing and use it within three weeks.

Crostini
For a playful appetizer, and to answer this month's Improv Cooking Challenge, I layered Prosciutto di Parma with creamy burrata on crisped slices of bread and spooned a dollop of bartlett-vanilla bean jam on top. Fantastic!

Comments

  1. Do you deliver? :) This looks delicious...and on the crostini with prosciutto?! ::heart eyes:: over here

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love crostini, it is so versatile and this topping sounds amazing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce