Burrata Caprese Salad

First official full week of summer. The air conditioner started running Monday and did not stop. Josie has friends at the pool by 10 every morning. Amber is earning tip money she keeps in a coffee can in her room. Tyler is at the dealership four days a week wearing a Freightliner shirt he pressed himself (his father's influence; Dave irons work shirts, always has, will die before he doesn't). Justin is lifting and running in the morning and sleeping in the afternoon. The refrigerator is a battlefield. I am losing.

I drove a Kansas City run Tuesday and Wednesday. Ate a salad from a cooler both nights, because a woman my age cannot eat truck stop food five days a week and live to sixty-eight. Dropped my trailer Wednesday at 4, was home by 8, and had a plate of Dave's leftover pork chops waiting on the counter under foil. He had covered it with a sticky note that said, "Eat. Love." Dave.

Father's Day was Sunday. Dave is not a Father's Day man — he dislikes the manufactured quality of it — but the kids went all out. Amber got him a new wallet. Tyler got him a framed photograph of the two of them at the Platte. Justin gave him a card and, separately, a hug, which Dave counted as the real gift. Josie got him a Father's Day coupon book she had made that included "One back scratch" and "One free kitchen dish." I made Dave pork chops (his favorite) and potatoes au gratin. He read his card, scratched his head, ate his dinner, kissed me on the temple, and said, "This was a good one."

Cookbook is still selling. Sarah emails me updates every two weeks now. We are in the eighth printing. A trucker magazine wrote a review that called me "the poet laureate of the American truck cab," which Dave has been repeating to Tyler at every opportunity until Tyler has begged him to stop.

Gayle had a good week. Her new medications are holding her blood pressure steady. Her neighbor, Mr. Hagen, brought her early green beans. She made a cold green bean salad with vinegar and dill that is the most summer food Gayle produces all year. She brought a pint jar to the house Friday. I ate it standing at the counter. It is not in the cookbook. It will be in the next one.

Gayle’s green bean salad — cold, vinegary, just dill and beans and a little onion — reminded me that the best summer food is the kind that doesn’t ask you to turn on the oven. After a week of Kansas City runs and a refrigerator I’m losing to four hungry people, something cool and effortless felt exactly right. This Burrata Caprese is that same spirit: beautiful ingredients, almost no work, and the kind of dish you eat standing at the counter before it even makes it to a plate.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 balls fresh burrata cheese (about 8 oz total)
3 large ripe heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Optional: 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Arrange the tomatoes. Fan the tomato slices out on a large serving platter, overlapping slightly. Season lightly with half the salt and pepper.
Add the burrata. Place the burrata balls in the center of the platter. Using your hands or a knife, gently tear each ball open so the creamy interior spills slightly over the tomatoes.
Layer the basil. Tuck fresh basil leaves between and around the tomato slices, distributing evenly across the platter.
Dress the salad. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over everything, then follow with the balsamic glaze in a slow, even stream.
Finish and serve. Sprinkle the remaining salt and black pepper — and red pepper flakes if using — over the top. Serve immediately at room temperature for best flavor.

Nutrition (per serving)

Burrata Caprese Salad — The Kind of Simple That Stops You Cold