Roasted Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine with Burrata and Pesto

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer, without crowding.

   Baking pan
3. 3
   Sprinkle the salt on top and drizzle with the olive oil.
4. 4
   Roast the vegetables in a hot oven (220°C / 430°F) 12–15 minutes, until the skins wrinkle and start to crack, but the tomatoes are still attached to the stem.

   ⚙ Oven roastingOvenBaking pan

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.

For the Pesto

1. 5
   Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat 2–3 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned.

   ⚙ Dry-Pan ToastingStoveFrying pan

   💡Toast over medium heat and keep things moving: nuts, pine nuts and spices go from toasted to burnt in seconds. Transfer to a plate right away, since the hot pan keeps toasting.
2. 6
   Grind the leaves in a food processor with the nuts, garlic and lemon juice.

   ⚙ Grinding in a Food ProcessorFood processor

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
3. 7
   Add the Parmesan and grind.

   Food processor
4. 8
   Add the olive oil in a thin stream, while Tahini, until a thick pesto that isn't completely smooth.

   ⚙ Fat in a Thin StreamFood processor

   💡Pesto keeps in the fridge about two weeks in a closed jar, covered with a layer of olive oil. The top layer darkens from the air, and that doesn't mean it has spoiled.

   💡The thin stream is everything: fat that goes in too fast can't bind, and the sauce breaks. For mayonnaise and hollandaise, if this happens, start with a fresh yolk and slowly add the broken sauce to it; if the sauce is too thick, thin it with a teaspoon of water.

To assemble

1. 9
   Spread two tablespoons of pesto in the center of the plate, set the burrata on it and add another tablespoon of pesto on top.

   PlateSpoon / teaspoon (regular)
2. 10
   Gently move the tomatoes, still hot, next to the burrata, pour the pan juices over it, season with pepper and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately, while the tomatoes are hot and the cheese is cold.