When you think of your favorite types of cheese, which ones come to mind? Do you think cheddar, Swiss, gouda, or gorgonzola as your first choices? How long would it take before you thought of burrata cheese? Do you know what burrata cheese is? According to Cheese.com, Burrata, meaning “buttery” in Italian, cheese is made fresh from a mix of mozzarella and cream. Burrata cheese often includes a thin shell of a pasta filata curd made of buffalo and/or cow’s milk mozzarella, while the insides contain a soft, doughy, stringy mixture of curd and fresh cream, according to cheese.com.
Maybe it is just me, but I started noticing Burrata based entrees and appetizers popping up all over Walt Disney World and the Orlando area in general. Perhaps they have always been there. Yet, I found far more during my October trip to Orlando than in previous months. I know several of the ones I tried in October were recently added to the menu. One such appetizer came suggested by my server, Deidre, at Wolfgang Puck’s Bar and Grill in Disney Springs.
Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill sits near the Coco-Cola store in the Town Center area of Disney Springs. This location recently added an “Heirloom Apple Salad” to the menu. The menu description reads “local burrata, red oak lettuce, pumpkin seed pesto, (and) apple butter. Of course, as the title of item states, this comes with apples also. This appetizer/salad costs $18 before any applicable discounts.
Since I tried three different food items containing burrata cheese during my trip during the first week of October, I have gained some new perspective. Of the burrata dishes I ate, the cheese itself tasted the best with this one. Overall, the flavors of this salad worked very well together also. Each ingredient looked and tasted fresh. Every component displayed the high quality expected from a table service place at Walt Disney World. The apple butter found in bottom of bowl provides just enough sweetness to enhance this salad. I expected the apple butter not to hold up, but it did in this salad.
In annoying food blogger mode, I tasted each ingredient separately before having the salad as it was designed. Even the pumpkin pesto and seeds offered enough flavor to enjoy them on their own. The lettuce might need an additional dressing on it. Still, the lettuce plays a very secondary part in this salad. Yet, it plays that part very well. I would be curious why the selection of this type of lettuce. Of course, I will only write about food. Chefs design masterpieces of food so I am just curious about the choice.
The apples and burrata function as leading actor and actress in this production. Also, the portion size of both of those increases the general enjoyment of this salad. For the record, the apples provided my favorite part of this salad. In addition, this salad might be large enough to share.
As with most burrata, some people will struggle with the texture. The consistency of the burrata itself started to break down a bit quicker than I expected with this salad. This issue failed to take away from the taste. Yet, I think people with texture issues with their food might find that consistency issue troubling. Of course, this phenomenon commonly happens with burrata style cheese.
Finally, I can easily see why my server recommended this salad. It shows off creativity and flavors you would expect from a celebrity chef restaurant. Some people might scoff at the $18 price point. Still, the flavor combinations and quality should live up to expected levels for that price point. This salad could make an excellent light lunch or a great start to a pleasant meal. I, for one, hope this new menu item sticks around for a while. As always, eat like you mean it!
