Burrata with Persimmon-Pomegranate Relish

Fall fruit and creamy burrata make for an unexpected cheese course

Persimmons and pomegranates are some of the quintessential early winter fruits. I use pomegranates all the time as a salad topping (seen in this baby spinach salad and this crispy quinoa salad) and love their burst of tart flavor. Persimmons are a fairly new fruit that I'm warming up to, but they really shine in this relish. There are two kinds of widely-available persimmons: fuyu, which can should be eaten slightly-soft, and hachiya, which cannot be eaten until they are incredibly soft and almost-liquid. I could only find ripe hachiyas for this persimmon-pomegranate relish, which was inspired by something I saw in The A.O.C. Cookbook. Using diced fuyus would lead to a much different and chunkier-style dish, although I'd imagine it would be equally delicious. The relish is tangy and slightly sweet, but the shallots and cilantro keep it on the savory side. It makes a great cheese course when paired with creamy burrata (any type of triple cream cheese would be a good alternative) and we used the leftovers on top of grilled pork chops later that night.


Related Recipes:
- Grilled Peach, Prosciutto, & Burrata Salad
- Fresh Mozzarella & Fava Bean Crostini
- Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Caprese Salad


Burrata Cheese with Persimmon-Pomegranate Relish:

• In a bowl, combine 1 minced shallot, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
• Scoop the soft, liquidy flesh out of 1 ripe hachiya persimmon and add to the bowl, along with 1 tbsp. of pomegranate juice.*
• Whisk together, then gently stir in 1 c. of pomegranate seeds and 2 tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro.
• Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
• Gently pull apart 2 balls of burrata cheese** and place on a platter.
• Spoon the persimmon-pomegranate relish on top (you probably won't use all of it). Serve with toasted baguette.

Serves two-four (appetizer)

*I just took a little bit of juice from the pomegranate after I removed the seeds. One pomegranate will be more than enough for this dish.

**I like to let the burrata warm up to room temperature a bit by leaving it out for 20 minutes or running the balls under warm water for 30 seconds.