Georgia Peach and Burrata Crostini

Georgia peaches are the South's summer centerpiece — the juicy, fragrant stone fruit of the orchards around Fort Valley and Byron, in the heart of peach country, where the warm days and humid nights of central Georgia ripen the fruit to a sweetness the rest of the country can only envy. Georgia has grown peaches commercially since the 1850s, when the first budded trees were cultivated in Macon County, and the state's peaches have been a Southern symbol ever since. Paired with creamy burrata, fresh basil, and a drizzle of hot honey on a toasted crostini, they become one of the simplest, most elegant summer appetizers — sweet, creamy, herbaceous, and a little spicy, in a single perfect bite.

This crostini is the brunch party made for August — when the peaches are at their peak and the burrata is cold from the fridge. Half Baked Harvest provides a version with prosciutto and hot honey, and Spoon Fork Bacon offers a grilled peach version. The combination is endlessly adaptable — the peaches can be grilled or sliced raw, the prosciutto optional, the hot honey replaceable with a balsamic glaze — but the principle is constant: ripe peaches, creamy burrata, good bread, and a sweet-spicy finish.

About the Ingredients

Peaches should be ripe, fragrant Georgia peaches in season. Freestone varieties are easiest to slice. For the most flavour, choose peaches that yield slightly to pressure and smell intensely sweet. How Sweet Eats grills the peaches for char; California Grown slices them raw — both are excellent.

Burrata is the creamy heart of the crostini — a fresh Italian cheese with a mozzarella shell and a creamy, stracciatella-filled center. It should be cold, fresh, and torn open just before serving so the cream spills out.

Bread should be a baguette, sliced thin and toasted until golden on both sides with a little olive oil.

Hot honey — honey infused with chilli — is the modern finishing touch that adds a sweet-spicy kick. It is available bottled (Mike's Hot Honey is the famous brand), or you can make it by warming honey with chilli flakes. A balsamic glaze is an equally excellent substitute.

Basil — fresh, torn at the last minute — is the herbaceous note that lifts the whole thing.

Ingredients (makes 16 crostini): - 1 small baguette, sliced into 16 rounds about 1/3 inch thick - 3 tablespoons olive oil - 4 ripe Georgia peaches, sliced - 2 balls (8 oz each) fresh burrata, drained - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn - 1/4 cup hot honey (or balsamic glaze) - Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - Optional: 4 slices prosciutto, torn

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400°F (392°F). Brush the baguette slices on both sides with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and toast for 8–10 minutes until golden on both sides, flipping once. Remove and let cool slightly.

If grilling the peaches, heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high. Brush the peach slices lightly with oil and grill for 2–3 minutes per side until charred in spots. (If serving raw, simply slice the peaches.)

To assemble: place a generous tear of burrata on each crostini. Top with 2–3 slices of peach. If using, drape a torn piece of prosciutto over the peach. Scatter with torn basil. Drizzle with hot honey (or balsamic glaze). Finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt and a grind of black pepper.

Serve immediately — the burrata should be cold and the crostini warm.

The Mimosa Pairing Logic: The sweet, juicy peaches and the creamy burrata want a bright, aromatic drink that can echo the fruit and lift the richness of the cheese. A classic Champagne mimosa or a peach bellini mimosa is the obvious and perfect choice — the peach in the mimosa echoes the peach on the crostini, creating a harmonious peach-upon-peach pairing that is pure August. The wine's effervescence refreshes the palate of the creamy burrata, and the gentle sweetness of the peach bellini balances the spicy kick of the hot honey. For a more herbaceous pairing, a lavender elderflower mimosa echoes the basil and the summer garden. This pairing is, in its way, the brunch equivalent of a peach and a glass of cold Georgia sweet tea — a sparkling toast to the South's summer fruit.

Reference Links: - Peach burrata parmesan crostini with hot honey: Half Baked Harvest - Grilled peach and burrata crostini: Spoon Fork Bacon - Peach burrata crostini (basil butter): How Sweet Eats - Peach burrata crostini: California Grown

Make-Ahead: The crostini can be toasted up to 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The peaches can be grilled or sliced up to 4 hours ahead and held at room temperature. The burrata should be kept refrigerated until just before assembly. Assemble the crostini at the last minute — the burrata should be cold, the bread crisp, and the basil fresh; if assembled too far ahead, the bread will soften and the basil will wilt.

Pro Tips: Use the ripest, most fragrant peaches you can find — this dish is about the peach; a hard, underripe peach will be a disappointment. Do not refrigerate the peaches before serving — cold kills their flavour; keep them at room temperature until slicing. Tear the burrata, do not slice it — the cream should spill out; slicing will mash it. Drizzle the hot honey just before serving so it does not soak into the bread. Torn basil looks and tastes better than chopped; tear it at the last minute so it does not blacken. Serve immediately — the contrast of cold burrata and warm crostini is the point; once everything is room temperature, the magic is gone.