[1] Grilled peaches with burrata. The recipe is below (photo © DeLallo).

[2] Burrata (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[3] Burrata with toast (photo © Distilled Restaurant | NYC).

[3] Puglia, the birthplace of burrata (image courtesy Wikipedia).

[4] While homemade pesto is particularly delicious, it’s easier to open a jar of pesto (photo © DeLallo).

If you like mozzarella, ricotta, and fresh, creamy cheeses in general, burrata is a treat waiting for you.

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, subtly creamy and luscious.

A hollow ball of buffalo mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) is filled with panna, a cream that contains scraps of mozzarella left over from mozzarella-making.

The cream is thick, like a very fine-grained ricotta.

Burrata means “buttery” in Italian. When you cut into it, the cream oozes out (photo #2).

Made in the Puglia region of Italy (photo #4), burrata was, until relatively recently, only available when in major cities on the East Coast of the U.S.

It was flown in and scooped up by aficionados.

Today, America’s artisan cheese makers are meeting the demand (more about that below) of burrata lovers.
 
 
HOW TO ENJOY BURRATA

Burrata is one of those treats that can be served for breakfast with toast (photo #3), with lunch, or with dinner.

Or, serve it when you kick back with a glass of wine, perhaps with these crostini recipes).

The simplest way to serve burrata is on a plate with some crusty bread, sliced heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, and a drizzle of fine olive oil. It’s a variation of Caprese Salad.

Just as easy: Place a burrata half or quarter atop a green salad, a fruit salad, or a bowl of pasta.

Some recipes:

 
Plus today’s recipe, below: Grilled Peaches With Burrata.
 

THE HISTORY OF BURRATA

We have no idea of the exact origin of most of our foods, such as bread and yogurt.

Historians deduce how they began, and there is archaeological evidence, but for many foods, there is no historic record.

Even the origins of such popular creations as fudge and brownies—which debuted in the U.S. as recently as the 1880s—are lost to history.

But we do know who created burrata, and when.

Many cheeses date back hundreds and even thousands of years. Pecorino Romano was made by the Romans 2,000 years ago, Asiago by Cistercian monks in 1000 C.E. the history of cheese).

But fast forward a millennium: Burrata was first made around 1920 in the town of Andria, about two-thirds of the way up from the heel to the spur of the boot that is the Italian region of Puglia, “the heel of the boot.”

The Bianchini family invented it on their farm. It was a local product and remained the delight of the townspeople only, for thirty years.

In the 1950s, burrata became more widely available in Italy, after a few of the local cheese factories began to produce it. Their interest may have grown because burrata offered a way to utilize the scraps of mozzarella (ritagli, or rags) that were being discarded.

Burrata maintained its artisan status as a premium product, even after it began to be made in a number of factories throughout Puglia.

For years, the only burrata in the U.S. was flown from Italy to New York and other East Coast cities. Because of its short lifespan, it was too fragile to travel further.

Italian-made burrata is traditionally wrapped in a green leaf, the fronds of an Italian plant called asphodel. It’s a plant in the lily family, Liliaceae, which also is the family of asparagus and the different onion genera—chives, garlic, leeks, and onions, among other foods.

The leaves are an indicator of freshness: As long as the leaves are still fresh and green, the cheese within is still fresh. Dried-out leaves mean the burrata is past its prime.

When it travels from the dairy in Italy, burrata is also wrapped in a clear plastic bag to catch the natural liquid that drains from it. In the U.S., a plastic container is typically used.
 
 
BURRATA IN THE U.S.

Today, burrata is made at artisan dairies throughout the U.S. Check for it at the best cheese counter near you. We get ours at Trader Vics’; it’s also available online from Murray’s Cheese and other e-tailers.

Cut into the ball and the cream oozes out. While both buttery and creamy, it is not overly rich—just overly delicious.

You can serve this recipe with juicy, uncooked peaches; but a few minutes on the grill imbue them with a smoky, caramelized flavor.

This recipe uses pesto as a condiment. With the greens, it works as a salad course.

Or, serve it for dessert with some raspberry purée instead of the pesto. Thanks to DeLallo for the recipe.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SPRAY the grill grates with nonstick spray. Preheat the grill to a medium setting.

2. GRILL the peaches flesh-side down until softened and charred, about 3 minutes.

3. WHISK together the pesto and extra virgin olive oil in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

4. REMOVE the peaches from the heat and arrange them on a serving dish. Top with the burrata and fresh arugula. Drizzle with the pesto mixture. Sprinkle with the nuts.
 
 

Hibiscus is a flower (photo #2) that is brewed into an herbal tea, a caffeine-free tea also called a tisane.

Tisanes are infusions of flowers, herbs, roots, spices, or other plant material.

Long used in homeopathic medicine, they are now enjoyed by people seeking a caffeine-free beverage.
 
 
THE TASTE OF HIBISCUS

We first tasted hibiscus as a hot tea when we were coming down with a cold.

We had picked up a tea bag sample at a trade show, and knew hibiscus was rich in vitamin C and antioxidants—many more than green tea (here are more benefits of hibiscus).

So we decided to try some homeopathic tea and brewed a cup, deep red in color (photo #1).

It was fragrant, but with one sip we puckered up.

Hibiscus is tart, not unlike like unsweetened cranberry juice.

We decided we wanted a more comforting cup of tea, and stuck the cup of tea in the fridge while we brewed some Dragon Well.

The next day, we opened the fridge, saw the cup and took a sip. We found the iced hibiscus to be delightfully refreshing.

A teaching moment: If you don’t like the way something tastes, figure out how to make it taste better.

 
Want to try it before you buy it? Hibiscus iced tea is available at Starbucks.

[1] Hibiscus iced tea (photo © Bittersweet Blog).

[2] The hibiscus flower (photo © Siam Garden | Amazon).

Tisane ingredients come from different parts of the plant, and have been used for millennia as homeopathic remedies.

Some examples:

[1] A gooey s’mores brownie. The recipe is below (photo © Burp!).

[2] Classic s’mores are a sandwich cookie (photo © Dandies Marshmallows).

[3] S’mores ice cream sandwiches (photo © Babble).

[4] S’mores ice cream cake (photo © Kraft).

National S’mores Day is August 10th. Get ready to celebrate by considering this recipe for S’mores Brownies, and the other creative s’mores recipes below.

The original s’mores were invented as campfire food (here’s the history of s’mores).

But at home, with a stove and oven, there are many variations using the same three ingredients: chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows.

The brownie recipe (photo #1) is from Paul and Lori Fredrich of Burp!, sent to us by Go Bold With Butter.

A fudgy layer of chocolate is surrounded by crisp graham crackers and topped with browned marshmallows.

The History of Chocolate
The History Of Graham Crackers
The History Of Marshmallows
 
 
RECIPE: S’MORES BROWNIES

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Line 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick foil or parchment, leaving a 2-inch overlap on the short sides.

2. LINE the bottom of the pan with graham crackers, breaking them up as needed to fill the bottom of the pan.

3. PREPARE the brownies: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add the sugar and salt, continuing to whisk until the ingredients are blended.

4. ADD the eggs one at a time, whisking just until blended. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour into batter just until incorporated. The batter will be quite thick.

5. SPOON the batter over the graham crackers and spread gently, taking care not to displace the graham crackers. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with small bits of brownie sticking to it. Remove the brownies from oven.

6. PREHEAT the broiler. Sprinkle the pan of brownies with the chocolate pieces. Arrange the graham crackers on top of the chocolate. Top with the marshmallows.

7. MELT the marshmallows, placing the pan 3-4 inches under broiler for 2-3 minutes. Allow them to brown, but not burn. Cool thoroughly before slicing into bars.

TIP: The easiest way to cut the brownies cleanly is when they’re fully cooled, using a hot knife for each cut.

But if you can’t wait to sample their ooey-gooey goodness, we won’t judge.

We were shopping a couple of days ago and ran into a blueberry bonanza: four pints for $5.

We brought them home to figure out what to do with them. Blueberry pie? Blueberry cobbler? Blueberry muffins?

It was too hot to turn on the oven, so we popped them into the blender and made fresh blueberry juice. Delicious!

We had friends stopping by for drinks, so it was easy to turn the blueberry juice into cocktails.

This recipe, from the Blueberry Council, has no added sugar. Summer blueberries are sweet enough.
 
 
RECIPE: FROZEN BLUEBERRY DAIQUIRI

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the blueberries, rum and lime juice in a blender. Blend until smooth.

2. ADD the ice and blend until slushy. Pour into a glass.

3. GARNISH with blueberries skewered on picks circled with a strip of lime peel, if desired

[1] Turn fresh blueberry juice into a blueberry daiquiri (photo © Blueberry Council).

[2] Turn a windfall of fresh blueberries into blueberry juice (photo © Good Eggs).

[1] Classic elote: mayo, crumbled cheese, chile powder and lime (photo © Good Eggs).

[2] As an alternative to ancho chile powder, Tajín (tah-HEEN) seasoning is a blend of chile powder, lime and salt. You can use it on anything, including buttered toast, fruit salad and ice pops (photo © Tajín).

[3] Crumbled cotija cheese (photo © Bake-Off Flunkie).

[4] Crumbled queso fresco (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[5] Elotes asados, finished on a grill. If you’re serving multiple topping options, consider cutting the corn cobs in half so guests can manage to try them all (photo © ChefSteps).

After Labor Day, supplies of fresh summer corn start to dwindle.

So here’s an idea for a cocktail party with family, friends and neighbors: ears of corn and cocktails, Mexican-style.

By that we mean: elotes, Margaritas and agua fresca (non-alcoholic).

Elote (ay-LOW-tay, plural elotes), meaning tender corn cob, derives from the Nahuatl elotitutl (Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, is still spoken today).

Elote is a popular street food; typically grilled on a stick on the vendor’s cart, then brushed with melted butter or mayonnaise, rolled in cotija or queso fresco crumbles, and dusted with chile powder and salt (photo #1).

It’s served with a lime wedge to squeeze over the corn.

More modern variations use sour cream (called crema in Mexico) instead of the butter or mayo, and liquid cheese instead of the crumbles (please, no!).

Ready to cook?

The elotes are usually boiled at home and transported wrapped in their husks by the elotero (the vendor).

Once on the street cart, they can be served hot from the warming drawer, or grilled over a brazier to char some of the kernels. These grilled ears are called elotes asados (photo #5).

Hacks:

 
 
HAVE FUN WITH STREET CORN:
SET UP A DIY “INTERNATIONAL” ELOTE BAR

Classic Toppings

 
International Variations

If you want to offer options in addition to the classic elote garnishes, here are some variations.

Group the ingredients by nationality on the DIY table, along with signage indicating the nationality.

Note that except for Mexican elote, these are flavor ideas we created. They are not served in their designated country.

 
Here is a complete guide to making elote from ChefSteps.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CORN

Corn as we know it today is very different from the wild corn that was discovered and cultivated by the peoples living in what is now Mexico. It is a cereal grain, and the original wild grass, called teosinte, had thin sprigs with tiny kernels (” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>see image).

Scientists believe that people in central Mexico developed corn at least 7,000 years ago. Over the millennia, the ears of maize (corn) we know today were bred to be larger and larger, with larger kernels.

These substantial ears of maize became the staple crop. It spread north into the southwestern U.S. and south to Peru. About 1,000 years ago, as Native Americans migrated north across the continent, they brought corn with them.

When Columbus “discovered” America, he also “discovered” corn. The sweet corn we enjoy today, which occurred as a spontaneous mutation of field corn, is a family of cultivars of maize.

For the biology geeks among us, the genus and species of maize is Zea mays; sweet corn is Zea mays convar. saccharata var. rugosa. Zea is the Greek word for single-grained wheat, and was employed by botanists to name the species of large grasses that have edible components—i.e., the grains.

Botanically, the grain is a type of fruit called a caryopsis, composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran.

*If using wood sticks, remember to soak them before adding the corn and grilling.

‡‡Recipe for Barbecue Seasoning: Combine 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon celery salt, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper.