Foodstuff: More cheese, please | AspenTimes.com
Prep station ingredients for burrata making.
Courtesy photo
I was recently fortunate enough to be invited to participate in The Little Nell’s third annual Culinary Fest, featuring Relais & Châteaux chefs from across the country.
The food-focused gang of attendees was originally supposed to go on a chef-guided mushroom foraging expedition, but when the weather didn’t cooperate, we pivoted to a delightful demo in The Wine Bar, featuring cheese, which also happens to be one of my favorite food groups. Yes, “cheese” is a food group — fight me.
Our burrata demonstration was led by Executive Chef Oscar Carrasco, who shared a bit about his upbringing in southern Honduras, where he farmed and milked cows with his family, including his Spanish father, a veterinarian. Growing up alongside animals and fresh produce helped inspire his lifelong passion for food, and it was obvious that ingredients, and using the very best products available, is an essential part of his style of cooking. I was ready to dig in.
You might remember that in this very column, I once tried my hand at homemade cheese, with disastrous results. I was determined during this seminar to learn some tricks of the trade from Chef Oscar, which I did, and I am delighted to share all of this gooey goodness with you!
Note, get out your food scale because these star chefs aren’t screwing around with measuring cups. Also, grab a buddy, as this is a two-person Italian Job.
HOMEMADE BURRATA CHEESE
Yields Eight 3-oz Balls of Cheese
1qt mozzarella curd, diced*
1 gallon filtered water
1g salt, for water
For the Filling (Stracciatella):
150g ricotta cheese
50g mozzarella cheese, diced
40g crème fraiche
Zest of one lemon
1g salt
Make the filling by mixing all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.**
Heat water to 180°. While the water is heating, set out a small bowl, and place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of it, with about three inches…
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