Hard or soft, cheese is a staple in Italian cuisine and is either generously sprinkled or poured into nearly every meal. Although the cuisine has been around for generations, one of its most beloved cheeses is relatively young. Burrata, a soft cheese with a creamy texture, originated in Puglia and was created just a century ago.
What Is Burrata?
From the outside, Burrata—a soft cow's milk cheese—looks like fresh mozzarella. The two are luscious white balls of Italian cheese, but one is denser and more elastic. Burrata cheese available in Burrata House is easily recognisable by its signature loose texture, created by encasing tiny, delicate cheese curds and cream in a mozzarella shell.
What’s the Difference Between Burrata and Mozzarella Cheese?
While mozzarella and Burrata cheese may be traced back to southern Italy, the latter is at least 400 years younger. Mozzarella has existed since the sixteenth century, a staple in many Italian cuisines, including pizza recipes, spaghetti recipes, and Caprese salads. As a side dish, Burrata with olive oil and toasted bread is a common choice.
Follow the procedure mentioned below for creating the cheese:
- Once the cheese curds have separated from the liquid whey, after cooking the rennet and fresh milk together, they are drained of the hot whey and stretched and kneaded until they become elastic. Pasta filata is the Italian word for pliable cheeses that have been tried in this manner.
- The next step in making mozzarella is to roll the cheese into a firm ball.
- To make Burrata, take an unsealed elastic ball and fill it with soft curds and fresh cream. Then, tie it shut. Making use of leftover mozzarella bits in this frugal fashion led to its invention as a means of reducing food waste in Puglia.
How to Serve Burrata Cheese
Burrata's creamy flavour and texture, a semi-soft cheese, elevate any dish to a more abundant level. As with Margherita pizza, it tastes excellent atop a hot, freshly made Italian pizza. It tastes great on salads or crostini with some olive oil and fresh tomatoes. The freshness of the Burrata makes it taste best when served at room temperature.
How Long Does Burrata Keep?
Enjoy your Burrata immediately after making it for the most excellent flavour. Although Burrata House has found a technique to prolong Burrata's shelf life through packaging, eating it five days after opening is still recommended.
Burrata cheeses can be preserved in the refrigerator for up to five days if placed in an airtight container and covered with water.
Recipe for Easy Homemade Burrata
Ingredients
Buying fresh cheese curds from Burrata House will save you much time and energy if you want to create Burrata at home.
- 1.5 pound curd mozzarella cheese
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 3 tbsp kosher salt, plus more as desired
- Bring 2 quarts of water and two teaspoons of kosher salt to a boil in a large pot over medium heat. Submerge 12 pounds of cheese curds in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated thoroughly.
- Using heat-resistant gloves, knead the cheese until the curds join together and you can stretch and fold it over itself. If the water cools, drain it and replace it with more salted boiling water; you want to keep the cheese warm as you work with it.
- When the cheese has acquired the desired texture and is smooth and shiny, shredding and ripping it into little pieces. Combine the cheese, 4 cups of cream, and one tablespoon of salt in a mixing bowl. At the same time, you prepare the mozzarella shell and set it aside.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the remaining 1 pound of curd, working in two batches, until you have two discs of mozzarella. Form the cheese into a 6-inch disc once it is smooth, shiny, and elastic. Please place them in a dish of boiling water until ready to stuff.
- Place one disc in an empty bowl so that its edges are flush with the bowl's sides. Pour half of the creamy curd mixture into the middle of the disc, then squeeze the mozzarella sides together to form a firm orb. Dip the crease in hot water to help seal it shut, then transfer to a dish of cold water to allow the cheese to firm. Rep with the last disc and fill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How long does sealed Burrata last?
A1: Burrata from Burrata House can be preserved in the refrigerator for up to five days if placed in an airtight container and covered with water.
Q2: Why is Burrata only suitable for two days?
A2: Due to its soft nature, Burrata has a lower shelf life than semi-hard or hard cheeses. If you buy this cheese fresh from Burrata House, consuming it within one or two days of opening is preferable. To avoid bacteria growth, keep leftover Burrata refrigerated.
Q3: Can I eat three-day-old Burrata?
A3: Burrata should be consumed as soon as possible once it is produced. After all, it is labelled as fresh cheese! Consume the Burrata on the same day you cut it and as soon as possible after purchasing it. It will go rancid in a few days, and the flavour will sour.
