i think i am a burrata supporter - whilst i like mozzarella, i don't like it enough to savour it whilst i'm eating if, if that makes sense. with the burrata i had last night, however, perhaps it was the salt and pepper on top or maybe it was the creaminess that mozzarella doesn't have.
i believe the interior creaminess is called the panna - something that distinguishes it from mozzarella and that is introduced during the process of its being made.
i found the following description which far more eloquently describes the production process than my sentence above:
burrata starts out much like mozzarella, which begins like other cheeses, with rennet used to curdle the warm milk. But then, unlike other cheeses, fresh mozzarella curds are plunged into hot whey or lightly salted water, kneaded and pulled to develop the familiar stretchy strings (pasta filata), then shaped in whatever form is desired.
when making burrata, the still-hot cheese is formed into a pouch, which is then filled with scraps of leftover mozzarella and topped off with fresh cream (panna) before closing. The finished Burrata is traditionally wrapped in the leaves of asphodel, tied to form a little brioche-like topknot, and moistened with a little whey. For convenience, these days the cheese is often placed in polyethylene, a plastic bag. The asphodel leaves, if present in packaging, should still be green when the cheese is served, to indicate the cheese’s freshness.
the only place i've found close to dc that sells burrata, and indeed carries it as part of its regular produce (ie it's a regular everyday produce and reasonably priced) is in virginia - The Italian Store at 3123 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22201
take your burrata, season with salt and black pepper (though i like white pepper myself) and drizzle extra virgin olive oil over it. it needs nothing else..no basil leaves, tomatoes or balsamic vinegar...
burrata versus mozzarella
i think i am a burrata supporter - whilst i like mozzarella, i don't like it enough to savour it whilst i'm eating if, if that makes sense. with the burrata i had last night, however, perhaps it was the salt and pepper on top or maybe it was the creaminess that mozzarella doesn't have.
i believe the interior creaminess is called the panna - something that distinguishes it from mozzarella and that is introduced during the process of its being made.
i found the following description which far more eloquently describes the production process than my sentence above:
burrata starts out much like mozzarella, which begins like other cheeses, with rennet used to curdle the warm milk. But then, unlike other cheeses, fresh mozzarella curds are plunged into hot whey or lightly salted water, kneaded and pulled to develop the familiar stretchy strings (pasta filata), then shaped in whatever form is desired.
when making burrata, the still-hot cheese is formed into a pouch, which is then filled with scraps of leftover mozzarella and topped off with fresh cream (panna) before closing. The finished Burrata is traditionally wrapped in the leaves of asphodel, tied to form a little brioche-like topknot, and moistened with a little whey. For convenience, these days the cheese is often placed in polyethylene, a plastic bag. The asphodel leaves, if present in packaging, should still be green when the cheese is served, to indicate the cheese’s freshness.
the only place i've found close to dc that sells burrata, and indeed carries it as part of its regular produce (ie it's a regular everyday produce and reasonably priced) is in virginia - The Italian Store at 3123 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22201
take your burrata, season with salt and black pepper (though i like white pepper myself) and drizzle extra virgin olive oil over it. it needs nothing else..no basil leaves, tomatoes or balsamic vinegar...
