Cherry Tomato Pizza With Burrata, Basil And Garlic

Over the past 7 or so years, Los Angeles has become a pizza mecca.  Everybody from Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich, to Travis Lett, to the Umami Guy continue to turn out the most delicious pizza.  Pizza that is thin crusted, baked until slightly charred with a bubbly thick edge and topped with an array of uniquely combined, fresh ingredients.  The simplest of these pizzas, and perhaps my favorite, is a take on the classic Marguerita pizza. Rich and creamy burrata cheese takes the place of mozzarella.  On the occasion that we stay in on a Friday night like tonight, I love to do a pizza and movie night.  When I make this favorite pizza at home as I did here, sliced tomatoes are replaced with much sweeter cherry tomatoes.

Cherry Tomato Pizza With Burrata, Basil And Garlic

Pizza Dough (pick up a ready-to- go ball at your market or request one from your favorite bakery)  

3/4 to 1 c cherry or grape tomatoes {depending on the size of your pizza shell}, cut in halves

2 T olive oil

2 t minced garlic

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

8 oz burrata cheese, quartered

6 large basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sprinkle a little flour on a pizza stone and roll the pizza dough into a very thin round.  Press with your fingers to stretch the dough further.  When you have the thinnest possible round, fold the edges inward by about an inch to create a thick edge.

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Spread tomatoes over the the pizza crust.

Bake until crust is a dark golden brown and tomatoes have blistered, using the time recommended for your pizza crust as a guide (9 minutes was my bake time). Remove pizza from the oven, arrange the 4 pieces of burrata cheese on top and bake for 30 seconds for softened cheese or 1 minute for melted cheese (as I have done here).  Remove pizza from oven and garnish with fresh basil.

Source:  Jill Crusenberry