Fig, Prosciutto, and Burrata Salad

Straight from the Dragonfly Inn’s executive chef, Sookie’s Recipe Book teaches fans how to make iconic recipes as only Sookie St. James can!

Join Sookie in the kitchen for an in-world culinary journey through Gilmore Girls featuring easy-to-follow recipes for all her elaborate creations, including Famous Peach Sauce, Rocky Road Cookies, each course of the Bracebridge Dinner, and her iconic Hot House Tomato Salad. In this official cookbook, you’ll find the lovable chef’s uniquely enthusiastic (and perhaps a little frenzied) take on dozens of memorable gastronomical moments in the show. The more than 75 recipes include:

Breakfast: “I Have My Standards” Omelets, Blueberry-Lemon Pancakes, Belgian Waffles with Famous Peach Sauce, Shirred Eggs with Chive, Currant and Spice Scones

Starters: The Original Onion Dip, Rory’s Birthday Angel Wings, Walnut Arugula Gorgonzola Crostini, “The Lettuce is Dry” BLT Soup

Sandwiches, Sides, and Salads: Jackson’s Vegetables Carpaccio, Not Jackson’s Vegetables Ratatouille, Warm Potato and Chorizo Salad, Sweet Potato Biscuit Sandwiches

Mains: “Four in Four” Coq au Vin, Chicken and Dumpling Casserole, Pasta a la Sookie, Butternut Squash Pasta Purses, Bracebridge Dinner “Peacock” Pie

Drinks, Cocktails, and Mixes: Wassail, Four Years without a Cocktail Mockaritas, “Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!” Martini, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Milkshake

Desserts: Plum Pudding with Hard Sauce, Sour Cream Peach Pie, “Paint the Wall Red” Strawberry Tarts, Cider Ice Cream, Dark Chocolate S’mores Wedding Cake

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Sookie’s Recipe Book: Gilmore Girls: An Official Cookbook (Gilmore Girls: Official Cookbooks) by Elena Craig,  Elizabeth Fish, and Micol Ostow is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.  

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Fig, Prosciutto, and Burrata Salad

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

GF

Dear Jackson,

Just so you know—a baptism is “just like a bath” the same way burrata is “just like bagged shredded mozzarella from Doose’s.” Please. That’s an insult to processed cheese everywhere. A bath involves lit candles, warm water, maybe a gossip magazine to flip through. (Pop stars behaving badly?

Yes, please!) When I take a bath, there’s no one standing around praying.

If you really think there’s no difference at all between a religious ceremony and a bath, let’s go all-out. Hey—why not just serve this salad in my special favorite fancy bowl that I brought back all the way from Belgium? (Oh wait—you can’t, because your family and friends deep-fried it on Thanksgiving!)

This sublime salad uses roasted tomatoes, basil, and a balsamic glaze, and I had high hopes it would reunite Lorelai and Rory at the kids’ baptism. (It did not.)

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 12 fresh figs, halved
• 8 ounces burrata cheese
• 8 slices prosciutto
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
• About ⅛ teaspoon Maldon or flaky salt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Put the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, olive oil, and salt on the prepared baking sheet. Toss gently. Roast the tomatoes for 40 to 50 minutes, tossing two or three times, or until golden brown and very tender. Allow it to cool completely.

Just before serving, arrange the figs on a platter. Using your hands, rip the burrata in half, then rip into smaller pieces, arranging them between the figs. Distribute the tomatoes evenly on top. Rip or cut the prosciutto into small pieces and distribute evenly, tucking them decoratively. Garnish with the basil leaves and drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Finish with the flaky salt, if using, and serve immediately.

Recipe published with permission from Insight Editions.