Pesto Crostoni with Caramelized Onion, Blistered Tomato & Burrata

Serves 4 (or 8 as starters, halved)

Ingredients

For the caramelized onions

• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 teaspoon white wine, optional (to speed the caramelization)

• Salt to taste

For the blistered tomatoes

• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (about 1 pint)

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed

• 6 fresh basil leaves, plus a few more for garnish

• ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar, optional

For the toasts and assembly

• 4 thick slices country bread, about 1 inch thick (sourdough or ciabatta also work)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

• 1 garlic clove, halved, for rubbing the toast

• ½ cup basil pesto (leftover or freshly made)

• 1 ball fresh burrata, 8 oz (or 2 small 4-oz balls)

• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

• 2 tablespoons good extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

Method

1. Start the onions, low and slow (30–40 minutes). In a wide skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter until it foams. Add the sliced onions and a generous pinch of flaky salt. Cook slowly, stirring every few minutes. The onions will pass through stages — translucent, pale gold, deep amber. Once they have softened and begun to take color, about 15 minutes in, splash in the white wine if using. It will hiss, lift the brown fond off the bottom of the pan, and evaporate within a minute, nudging the caramelization forward. If they ever brown too quickly, lower the heat and add a tablespoon of water to deglaze and reset. Slide off the heat when they look like dark mahogany jam (or you lose stamina).

2. Blister the tomatoes (6–8 minutes). When the onions have about 10 minutes left, heat a separate skillet over medium-high with a film of olive oil. Add the smashed garlic cloves and let them sizzle for 30 seconds until fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes with a pinch of salt. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes blister, slump, and burst their skins. Tear in the basil leaves (hold back a few for garnish), grind in black pepper, and finish with the red wine vinegar if using. Pull off the heat.

3. Grill the bread (about 4 minutes). Heat a grill pan, outdoor grill, or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil. Grill until each side is crisp and marked with dark golden char, about 2 minutes per side.

4. Rub the toast with garlic. While the bread is still hot from the grill, rub the cut side of the halved garlic clove firmly across the top of each slice. The toast's craggy surface acts as a microplane, melting the garlic into the bread as scent and flavor, not pieces. 

5. Build the crostoni. Spread a generous smear of pesto across each toast — about 2 tablespoons per slice (either store bought or see last post for full recipe). Spoon the blistered tomatoes over the pesto, letting some of their juices soak in. Heap the caramelized onions on top. Tear the burrata into rough pieces and drape it across the surface, exposing the creamy center. Finish each crostone with a pinch of flaky salt, a few grinds of pepper, the reserved basil leaves, and a final glug of good olive oil. Serve immediately, while the bread is still warm and the burrata is still cool.