The Pogo Stick - Burrata, Grilled Strawberries, Pistachios and Mint Pistou Grilled Cheese

I am so stressed out. Like I literally don't know what to do with myself... I totally shouldn't even be writing this blog post but I need some cathartic release, and well GCS - you're my outlet today. So instead of crossing things off on my checklist, I'm going to share this little grilled cheese with you. It's sweet, savory, and summer-y and it's perfect... And it sort of makes me forget about the one million things that I have left to do.

If you follow me on Facebook, twitter, or instagram, you've probably heard that I'm having a grilled cheese + wine pairing event on Thursday at my favorite place ever - ACME Studio! Well, I've never done anything like this before, and this 40 person tasting has turned into some ominous stress cloud that is eating away at my sunny soul. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited about doing it and I can't wait to perform on the big night, but the preparation part, well that's making me feel like I'm about to pull a Britney. I just wish there was some magical being to answer all my questions while I just day dream about recipes and figure out how I can get more people to try my sandwiches.

But obviously that's not going to happen so I must TCOB myself. And I don't want to bore you with my anxieties so I'll just focus on the positive and talk about how awesome this event is going to be. OK, so first of all, I got all the wine donated from St. Francis Winery and the cheese is coming from Wisconsin. Awesome. SCORE. I've already sold half my tickets so I'm feeling good (and if you want to come, you should reserve your spot HERE)! The sandwiches are going to be fucking awesome. I'm doing 4 courses based off of brunch, lunch/dinner, dessert and of course finishing with the middle of the night munchie sandwich. And since the event is at the coolest wackiest space in Williamsburg - ACME and I'm having my hot girlfriends help me with the guests, I know it's all going to look SO DOPE. Ok, phew I feel better. Thanks for listening.

Anyways, let's get on with this sandwich before I actually shave my head and make some bad decisions. So This little guy features creamy Wisconsin Burrata, grilled balsamic strawberries, toasted pistachios and a mint pistou on fluffy foccacia bread.  Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:

-Wisconsin Burrata
-Grilled Balsamic Strawberries (recipe below)
-Toasted Pistachios
-Mint Pistou
-Focaccia bread

Let's begin by talking about this cheese. If you've never had burrata before or need a little refresher - imagine a creamy, fresh-ricotta-filled ball of mozzarella. On the outside, the taste and texture is just like what you'd imagine from a regular ball of fresh mozz. But the center though, man... It's what makes this cheese so amazing. It's creamy, rich, airy, and all the other good things you could possibly imagine. It's one of my favorite cheeses and I can't believe this is my first time using it in a recipe!

Now it's time for the mint pistou. This stuff is super flavorful and best of all it's super easy to make - it's basically like a pesto but without cheese. Just combine basil, mint, a teeny bit of garlic, lemon juice, a few pre-shelled pistachios, salt, pepper, and some olive oil and then puree until it looks like the pic below.

Now top with the balsamic strawberries and add a few more pistachios. To make the strawberries, just dice up some fresh berries, let them soak in balsamic vinegar for like 30 minutes and then quickly grill them so that they retain their color but also begin to caramelize a little bit.

Add a little more burratta...

... And then add the remaining piece of bread. Next butter both sides of your sandwich and place it in a hot frying pan so that the bread can become all toasty and delicious. Don't worry about the cheese melting, because it never really will, but once the bread is golden and irresistible looking - then you know it's time to take it out the skillet and chow down.

So pretty, right?!

Alright so I gotta run and take care of my 4 page checklist. Wish me luck and I hope to see all of your pretty faces at the event!

xoxo,

GCS