If the mom(s) in your life that you will be celebrating on Mother’s Day this upcoming weekend are breakfast/brunch and strawberry fans, I’ve got you covered!

Strawberries are coming into season, when they will be ripe and delicious! This recipe combines strawberries and avocado chunks, with some grilled scallions tossed into the mix, also. The fruit mixture is layered over an Italian cheese that is spread on some grilled, rustic bread.

Burrata, the Italian cheese used in this recipe, is a combination of mozzarella cheese and cream. The outer casing of burrata is solid mozzarella cheese. That casing surrounds a soft middle made of stracciatella and cream. Stracciatella (Italian for “little rags”) are the scraps of mozzarella leftover from the production of the cheese. Stracciatella is also the name for an two other Italian dishes: a soup (here’s my grandmother’s version of stracciatella, the soup) and a flavor of gelato consisting of a white cream studded with shards of dark chocolate. (I need to find a recipe to make the gelato!)

Put it all together and you have a wonderful breakfast or brunch item for a Mother’s Day celebration!

Strawberry & Avocado Toast with Burrata

Strawberry-Avocado Toast with Burrata (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 45 minutes, Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 6 scallions
• 2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1 avocado, pitted and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• kosher salt & black pepper
• 4 1-inch-thick slices rustic bread
• extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
• 8 ounces burrata, cut into bite-size pieces
• balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
• flaky sea salt and torn basil, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the grill to high heat. Grill the scallions, turning once, until they are lightly charred, about 3 minutes total. Transfer the scallions to a work surface, and cut them into 1-inch lengths when they are cool enough to handle. Leave the grill on.

Grill the scallions.

In a medium bowl, mix the scallions with the strawberries, avocado, lemon juice, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season the mixture with kosher salt and black pepper to taste, and let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Combine the strawberries with the scallions, avocado, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes.

Meanwhile, brush the bread with olive oil and grill the bread slices over high heat, turning once, until they are lightly charred, about 3 minutes.

Grill the bread.

Transfer the bread to a platter and rub each slice of bread with the cut side of a garlic clove half.

Rub each slice of bread with the cut side of a garlic clove half.

Top the bread with the burrata and the strawberry salad.

Add the burrata to the bread slices.

Drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top and garnish the toasts with flaky sea salt and torn basil. Serve immediately.

Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, garnish with sea salt and basil, if desired.

Mom will love it!  ~Linda

Strawberry-Avocado Toast with Burrata (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 45 minutes, Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 6 scallions
• 2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1 avocado, pitted and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• kosher salt & black pepper
• 4 1-inch-thick slices rustic bread
• extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
• 8 ounces burrata, cut into bite-size pieces
• balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
• flaky sea salt and torn basil, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the grill to high heat. Grill the scallions, turning once, until they are lightly charred, about 3 minutes total. Transfer the scallions to a work surface, and cut them into 1-inch lengths when they are cool enough to handle. Leave the grill on.

In a medium bowl, mix the scallions with the strawberries, avocado, lemon juice and crushed red pepper flakes. Season the mixture with kosher salt and black pepper to taste and let it  stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush the bread with olive oil and grill the bread slices over high heat, turning once, until they are lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Transfer the bread to a platter and rub each slice of bread with the cut side of a garlic clove half. Top the bread with the burrata and the strawberry salad. Drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top and garnish the toasts with flaky sea salt and torn basil. Serve immediately.