dearshakti

Norm gave me a surprise birthday present today, it was a place in the How To Make Fresh Mozzarella class at Zola Wine Kitchen taught by Chef “Anthony.”  There were 8 of us, we learned how to transform curds into delicious, salty, tender mozzarella.
Basically, you crumble milk curds into a bowl, add hot salted water, stir until the curds form a mass, stretch, stretch, stretch, then shape the cheese as you like. We made bite-size boconcini, logs, balls and I’ll admit, I was the nerd of the class who made a braid. We dunked the shaped cheese into an ice bath then into an olive oil and herb marinade. We then prepped caprese salads using heirloom tomatoes from the nearby Farmers’ Market and Mozzarella en Carroza, grownup grilled cheese sandwiches filled with sliced mozz, proscuitto (instead of anchovy) and basil, dipped in an egg batter and fried. I made mine without ham because I don’t eat pigs.
The class was fun. I had to quickly get over the lack of structure and formality. It was a demo, really, followed by some trials. I suppose I was expecting or would have liked the class to be more technical, with defined proportions, temperatures, etc. But everything turned out really well, I’m on the Metro home now feeling maxed out on mozz.
I recommend Chef Anthony’s classes at Zola to anyone who is interested in learning something new in a stylish, convenient location. They do make wonderful gifts, too. Thanks, Norm!