pomegranate + burrata salad { christmas eve }
I love love love Christmas Eve. We always open one gift (pajamas), a tradition leftover from when I was a kid, and we always make pizza. Over the next week I’m going to share my Christmas Eve dinner with lots of recipes and tons of make-ahead tips. If you haven’t heard me the 200 other times I’ve said it, I’ll say it again:Β I love make-ahead. When you come to my house for dinner I really want to have just as much fun as you do…I don’t want to be sweating over a hot stove, exhausted. So over the next week, prepare yourself for the following Christmas Eve Recipes: candy cane ice cream scoopedΒ onto individual chocolate-y pudding cakes, a pomegranate sparkler cocktail (to make in large batches so everyone can grab a glass at will), pizza recipe + tips and a four-cheese caramelized onion tart appetizer. Whew. Considering I’ve wanted to start every day this week with a martini, this is highly ambitious. But it’s happening. It’s all been recipe tested and mostly photographed…I just need to sit down and focus at the computer for more than two seconds.
But now, we talk about this pomegranate + burrata salad. First, she’s gorgeous. Jewel-toned, is how I’d describe her. And she’s easy. You’ll start off making pomegranate molasses. You’ll just use three heaping tablespoons of this in the burrata salad dressing, but don’t fret as we’ll use it again when we’re making our pomegranate cocktails. You can make the pomegranate molasses five-ish days prior to your event and she’ll fare fine hanging out in the fridge in a sealed container.
Next, you’ll whisk up your dressing. I prefer to throw everything in my Vitamix. But if you don’t have one it’s fine, just use a a whisk. The dressing can be made up to three (four?) days ahead of time and stored in the fridge in an airtight container.Β Lastly, your pomegranate arils, persimmon slices and toasted pecans can be prepared and store separately in the fridge the night before. The only things that should be done just prior to serving are tossing the salad and cutting your burrata. Save cutting your burrata for the last possible moment because it’s kind of a hot mess once you cut it.
I included a suggested timeline for prepping this dinner for Christmas Eve below. Whether I’m catering an event or having people over for dinner I always create a timeline, grocery list (broken down byΒ dairy, dry goods, meat, fruits and veggies) and have my recipes printed out (Remember that latent OCD thing? It happens here.). I think we’re all going to be crazy busy next week, right? That annoying pull of wanting to get all of your work done so that you can have fun and feeling like you can’t have fun because you have so much to do. Can I say it again: I just feel like having fun. So a little OCD now will help us not have to give making dinner another thought. One other quick note…all of these recipes can be doubled or tripled as needed depending on the size of your group.
I will get the remainder of these recipes up by this upcoming Sunday. But if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to post below or email me. Making pizza is so much fun on Christmas Eve…for our family, Christmas day is filled with potatoes and turkey and ham and green beans and all of the traditional Christmas stuff. It’s kind of fun to do something a bit more casual.
OH, one last tradition I would love to share. We have a large table cloth that we bust out on Christmas Eve and everyone signs and dates it…depending on how much we’ve had to drink, it gets doodled on (ok, so this always happens). Then my mom embroiders it over the following year…so every year it’s just a little more colorful. Just a thought. Tradition is fun.
Your Schedule:
- Monday: Make Pomegranate Molasses + Salad Dressing & Ice Cream
- Tuesday: Make Pizza Dough + Pizza Sauce
- Wednesday:Β Make Tarts + Pudding Cakes (short of baking) and Prep Your Pizza Toppings
- Thursday: Mix YourΒ Cocktail, Set Out Your Pizza Dough + Set Your Table, Assemble Salad + Bake Pizza, Bring Cakes to Room Temp + Bake
Let’s get our holiday on.
pomegranate + burrata salad
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the Pomegranate Molasses
- 2 cups Pomegranate juice, unsweetened
- ΒΌ cup dark muscovado sugar (could sub in brown sugar)
- 2 teaspoons tangerine juice (could sub in fresh orange juice)
- ΒΌ teaspoon five-spice powder
For the Pomegranate Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup blackberry, raspberry or red wine vinegar
- 1/2Β cupΒ sunflower seed oil (or other light, veggie oil)
- 3Β heaping tablespoons pomegranate molasses (see above)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon shallots, minced
- 1/2Β teaspoon garlic, minced
For the Salad
- 6 cups baby kale, arugula orΒ other mixed greens
- 1 cup whole basil leaves
- 1 pomegranate, arils scooped out (the pretty jewel-like, seed-looking bits inside the pomegranate)
- Β½ cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1 fuyu persimmon, thinly sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Pomegranate Molasses
- Whisk together all of the ingredients in a sauce pan over high heat. Once it has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low-medium and let it simmer for 60 minutes. It will thicken up as it cools, so don’t fret if it seems a little thin. Let it cool a bit and then put it in a resealable container and set in the fridge until you’re ready to use. Other uses, besides this salad, for pomegranate molasses: my pomegranate cocktail that’s coming up and meat!! Think roast pork or something savory like that…
For the Pomegranate Salad Dressing
- Put the vinegar, olive oil, pomegranate molasses and sea salt in a blender and blend on high. Add the minced shallots and garlic and you’re done. Put into a resealable container and set in the fridge until ready to use.
For the Burrata Salad
- Just prior to serving, toss your greens, basil and persimmons andΒ half of the salad dressing in a large bowl and taste. Do you want more dressing? I always want you to pause and taste at this point because you can always add more, but you can’t take away. Lightly salt once you have just the right amount of dressing on there.
- Put the dressed greens in the salad bowl. Nudge the persimmon slices so that they stick out around the salad adding a pop of color.
- I used the burrata from Trader Joes and I cut each ball into four wedges. If you’re serving this with appetizers, pizza or another main, plus dessert I think you should use less burrata than you might be inclined. I never want people to feel completely stuffed after eating with me. I’m aiming for completely satisfied which is a much happier feeling. So place a wedge (use your discretion…but I do prefer odd numbers…so 1 or 3 wedges) on the top of the greens.
- Sprinkle with the toasted pecans and the pomegranate arils.
- Boom.
{ on my mind }
- I worked really hard last week and stayed so on schedule and organized that I even annoyed myself. But then as soon as I finished working late Saturday night, I was done. I’m officially checked out. I feel like I’m ready for vacation. Like now. Where’s my umbrella drink? Or hot toddy? Are you with me?
- More holiday dessertsΒ to muse on: boozy sugared cranberry cheesecake,Β apple-cranberry rosette tarts,Β salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake,Β chocolate pudding cakesΒ andΒ amazeballs chocolate espresso cake. What’s that you say? Not into chocolate for the holidays? I don’t know what you’re talking about.
- Holiday eats + sweets (let’s eat ’em before the holidays are over and we’re all juicing, fasting, angry and annoying…or is that just me?):Β boozy sugared cranberry coffee cake,Β gingerbread scones,Β pumpkin sconesΒ (my favorite version),Β maple oat scones with espresso schmooey,Β cherry-pecan granola,Β persimmon salsaΒ (an easy app),Β brussels sprout slaw,Β salted caramel pumpkin cheesecakeΒ and myΒ five-spice cranberriesΒ (with ways to use them as an app, a side or a cocktail).
- Some cookie ideas, because it’s cookie season:Β Β peppermint bark crinkles,Β double chocolate + peppermint bark cookies,Β breakfast crack cookies,Β bomb chocolate chunk cookies,Β snickerdoodles,Β the holy shit s’more cookieΒ (I’m thinking these need to be rolled in crushed candy canes, anyone?)Β andΒ peanut butter.
- Some quick, weeknight dinner options…because we’re all too busy right now:Β harissa chili, cheddarΒ corn chowder,Β white girl mexican soup,Β quinoa + turkey pattiesΒ andΒ honky kung paoΒ chicken.
- HappyΒ Wednesday! xoxo
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In my family we would put the poaamrgnete seeds in a glass jar and cover with honey and let them sit in the fridge for a few weeks and them mingle. Then we would add the infused honey to tea. And when we’d get sick we’d take a big spoonful of both seeds and the honey and steep it with hot water with a tea strainer and pop the seeds with a spoon. Toss what’s in the strainer and drink the warm poaamrgnete honey water help soothe sore throats.
That’s fascinating and that honey sounds delicious — thanks for posting Mina! xoxo
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try!
-Josh
Thanks Josh!!
Rebecca xo