mozzarella

A mild, white fresh cheese made by a special process where the curd is dipped into hot whey then stretched and kneaded to the desired consistency. At one point, mozzarella was made only from water buffalo milk. Now, it is usually made with cow's milk. There are two forms, regular and fresh. Regular mozzarella is available in low-fat and nonfat forms and has a semi-soft, elastic texture and is drier than fresh mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella is made from whole milk and has a softer texture and sweet, delicate flavor and is typically packed in water or whey. Buffalo mozzarella, is the most prized of the fresh mozzarellas, and is a combination of water buffalo milk and cow's milk. Other forms of fresh mozzarella are:
Ovolini (egg size) 4 ounce balls
Bocconcini (bite size) 1.50 ounce balls
Ciliegine (little cherry size) .33 ounce balls
Manteca is mozzarella molded around a lump of butter.

Burata is like a mozarella truffle-- a 'skin' of mozzarella surrounding a mozzarella cream. It can be found at speciality stores. If you can't find it, you can use fresh mozzarella.

Ethnicity: Italian Ingredient

Season: available year-round