Name: Burrata with Lemon Pepper Salami Bites
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 sprigs fresh rosemary ((use less for a less intense flavor)); 2 cloves garlic, smashed; 2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemon zest ((from about 1 lemon)); 1 -2 sprinkles black pepper; 4 balls fresh burrata cheese, at room temperature; 2 pounds salami, thinly sliced; Marcona almonds, for serving

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Burrata with Lemon Pepper Salami Bites…the perfect (super simple, super EASY) 15-minute appetizer that everyone loves. Creamy burrata cheese with lemony, peppery olive oil and salty salami. Nothing is better than this simple appetizer that takes only minutes to throw together. Serve this with your favorite crackers or crusty bread for a last-minute holiday appetizer…that ends up being everyone’s favorite app of the night.

And just like that, it’s already December twenty-third. This month flew by quicker than any other this year. My thoughts? I am so sad the month is coming to an end and that Christmas Eve is tomorrow. Of course, I’m excited for the holiday and time with family, but I would have loved to have a bit more time to actually celebrate the season. With Thanksgiving being so late this year, the Christmas season just felt way too short. Bah humbug…

It’s OK though! I’m still so excited for the next couple of days. We’ve had family in town since Saturday and the rest of the crew will arrive tomorrow afternoon/night. I’ve had my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners menus set for a couple of days now. But I always find there’s room for one last-minute recipe…

The Story.

Enter this burrata with lemon pepper salami bites. I first saw lemon pepper salami on Bon Appétit last December and ever since then I have wanted to create something similar, but with my own tweaks and with the addition of burrata cheese. I mean, would you expect anything else from me?

Honestly, this time of year Brie is my go-to cheese, and yes, I will still be serving up plenty of Brie. But I also wanted to make an appetizer that my oldest brother, Creighton would love. The one thing Creighton loves most? Deli meats. Especially pepperoni and salami. Two of his favorites on any cheeseboard.

So. I combined my love of burrata cheese and infused olive oils with his love of salami and ended up with this insanely EASY and insanely DELICIOUS holiday appetizer.

The Details.

This is what I call an “idiot-proof” recipe. It’s so easy that you cannot mess it up. Like you can’t.

Here is what you do. First, make the infused olive oil. Simply warm together olive oil, rosemary, garlic and lemon until the garlic is soft and caramelized and the rosemary is crispy and fried. You’ll want to do this over low to medium heat, but it takes maybe five minutes. And that’s all the cooking you will need to do. Yes, just 5 minutes on the stove.

You can make the oil up to a week ahead of time, but I actually love drizzling the warm oil over the burrata cheese. The heat from the oil warms the cheese, causing it to melt slightly…SO Good.

The Burrata.

Next, grab a few balls of fresh burrata cheese. I’ll usually pick mine up at Whole Foods or my local Kroger grocery store. When working with cheese, especially burrata cheese, it’s key to serve the cheese at room temperature for best flavor. Cold cheese will never be as flavorful, so be sure to remove the cheese from the fridge at least an hour before serving.

Now, arrange the cheese in a low serving bowl with thinly sliced salami and Marcona almonds. Pour the oil over top and season with plenty of black pepper.

Add fresh, crusty bread or crackers.

And Done.

Side Note: I used truffle burrata and oh my gosh, if you like truffles I would highly recommend this. It’s just oh so very good.

Without a doubt, this is the easiest appetizer you can make. The only thing that could make this easier is not to infuse the olive oil, but you can handle that. Right?

Yes, yes, you can. It’s so flavorful, you really need to do it.

If you have fifteen minutes and are in need of a quick appetizer, please give this one a try. Trust me, it’s so good and I think you’d have a hard time finding anyone who does not love this app. Creamy burrata cheese? Lemony, peppery, garlicky olive oil? Fried rosemary? Salty Salami?

All. The. VERY. GOOD. Things.

And with that, I think I’ll leave you all with this recipe so you can recreate it to share with family and friends.

Just a reminder, there will be no blog post on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but we’ll be back on Thursday with an easy dinner to feed any lingering house guests. And if you follow along on Instagram, I’ll be cooking my holiday recipes and sharing some family fun as well.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas…filled with (many) HBH recipes! MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!

If you make this burrata with lemon pepper salami bites, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!