Burrata

Does anyone know of a local store that sells burrata cheese? I found a couple of East Coast places that sell it, but would dearly love to not pay the overnight shipping to order it online.

I visit a lot of the Italian specialty stores around the area on a fairly regular basis and haven't seen burrata (though I wasn't looking for it and may have just overlooked it... though I doubt that).

In the linked post by G Wiv, there are addresses and phone numbers for some places you should try:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=3336#3336

Antonius

Antonius wrote:I visit a lot of the Italian specialty stores around the area on a fairly regular basis and haven't seen burrata (though I wasn't looking for it and may have just overlooked it... though I doubt that).

Khm99,

Come to think of it, I have not seen burrata for sale either, with one exception, the Evanston Farmer's Market, which is Saturday only. The Great American Cheese Collection has had burrata in the past. No guarantees they will have it this Saturday though.

Enjoy,
Gary

I bought it once last year from Whole Foods on North Avenue. It was OK, but not the real thing. I don't know who their source was.

if you are willing to buy an entire case of burrata or just about any other cheese (and pay for shipping) call Shelly at Crystal Food Imports in Boston 800-225-3573 and BEG her to pre-order you a case. It takes about 4 weeks to get it in from Italy direct (order placed/order packed in italy/flight to Boston/shipped to you - longest part is placed and packed...it gets packed and shipped pretty quickly). For just a few pieces, Esperya.com.

And locally? I'm not sure who imports it, but you can try European Imports first (they import everything cheesey and good and you can look them up on the NASFT website) or Zuercher (not as likely). European tends to have a good selection of Italian products and does indeed sell to WFM. I'm not sure their level of willingness to sell to individuals.

And if you are really friendly with your cheesemonger, you can always ask them to special order it for you.

good luck.

They had burrata at the Whole Foods in Deerfield today. Imported from Puglia by Isola, it was $12.99 for about a pound.

I got some really fresh Burrata at Fox & Obel last spring. I don't know if they stock it regularly, though.

And locally? I'm not sure who imports it, but you can try European Imports first (they import everything cheesey and good and you can look them up on the NASFT website) or Zuercher (not as likely). European tends to have a good selection of Italian products and does indeed sell to WFM. I'm not sure their level of willingness to sell to individuals.

european imports does NOT sell to individuals. but if they carry something, its going to be (most likely) for a store or a restaurant which means its accessible somewhere. but i havent seen burrata anywhere either. justjoan

European does not ordinarily sell to individuals, justjoan, but: 1) they sell to individuals at their open house at the warehouse several times a year (though not likely to have burrata); and 2) if it is available there, an individual can ask their friendly neighborhood cheesemonger to order some for them.

I had some incredible burrata in DC recently...maybe the best I've had.

Hi,

Burrata can be purchased at Costco, too.

At this link, there is an interview as well as a recipe demo an off-season Caprese salad with oven roasted cherry tomatoes.

Regards,

Publican Quality Meats tends to have it also.

Fantastic burrata can be found at both (GNR) J.P. Graziano and Publican Quality Meats. Since supply is generally limited, best to call first.

=R=

J.P. Graziano
901 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 666-4587

Publican Quality Meats
825 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 445-8977

Burrata is one of those things that tastes best freshly made and it's crazy easy to make at home; we made it a bunch of times over the winter. A gallon of milk will yield about a pound of product (give or take).

spinynorman99 wrote:Burrata is one of those things that tastes best freshly made and it's crazy easy to make at home; we made it a bunch of times over the winter. A gallon of milk will yield about a pound of product (give or take).

It seems that it's all about the quality of the milk. Right now, when pastures are still lush and green (but not yet dried out from the heat of summer), is considered a great time of year for cheesemaking. In fact, at least a few regional artisanal cheesemakers only make cheese this time of year. So yeah, it's probably a great time to attempt making it yourself.

As you well know, there's a thread about the milk component here.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:Burrata is one of those things that tastes best freshly made and it's crazy easy to make at home; we made it a bunch of times over the winter. A gallon of milk will yield about a pound of product (give or take).

It seems that it's all about the quality of the milk. Right now, when pastures are still lush and green (but not yet dried out from the heat of summer), is considered a great time of year for cheesemaking. In fact, at least a few regional artisanal cheesemakers only make cheese this time of year. So yeah, it's probably a great time to attempt making it yourself.

As you well know, there's a thread about the milk component here.

=R=

I got over the idea that there were less expensive sources because I simply can't deal in any volume that might make it viable. Just happy getting a freshly-made cheese (in less than 45 minutes). It's been a big hit every time we make it.

spinynorman99 wrote:Burrata is one of those things that tastes best freshly made and it's crazy easy to make at home; we made it a bunch of times over the winter. A gallon of milk will yield about a pound of product (give or take).

HI,

Do you mind offering a step-by-step on your process for making burrata or point to a reliable source how-to. I like the skin just covering the creamy contents.

I'd love some of your know-how!

Regards,

I bought some yesterday at Fresh Farms on Touhy. I've also seen it quite often in the past at Whole Foods. Look for the one with the green "ribbon" tying the cheese into a ball.

Cathy2 wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:Burrata is one of those things that tastes best freshly made and it's crazy easy to make at home; we made it a bunch of times over the winter. A gallon of milk will yield about a pound of product (give or take).

HI,

Do you mind offering a step-by-step on your process for making burrata or point to a reliable source how-to. I like the skin just covering the creamy contents.

I'd love some of your know-how!

Regards,

I started with this as a guide and pretty much followed it exactly. Got the calcium chloride from Brew & Grow (under $2) and already had citric acid. Ordered liquid rennet from Amazon (under $10 for 2oz double-strength, enough for 100 gallons of milk) and was good to go.

http://www.marinhomestead.com/featured/ ... pictorial/

For my first batch I used Kalona, which is very expensive but went to Costco's organic after that. After the first batch I also learned to put cheesecloth in my strainer (makes it MUCH easier to clean the strainer later).

The stretching is the hardest part because it works best when the cheese is hot from the microwave - and it gets VERY hot. And you may need to repeat the microwave step to extract the whey to optimal consistency.

It is a very quick process, you can speed it up a touch by letting the milk sit out for a half hour or so before you start, but you're only heating it to 90 degrees initially, so it won't take long in any case. Going from 90-105 takes minutes.

spinynorman99,

Thanks for the link, this is great stuff.

A friend had a burrata from Italy purchased at Whole Foods. This burrata had a slightly runny creamy interior. She supposed it was from better Italian milk. Now from going through your link, it was simply an adjustment to interior contents. Once you know, it is obvious, right?

I will be doing this.

Again, thanks!

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:spinynorman99,

Thanks for the link, this is great stuff.

A friend had a burrata from Italy purchased at Whole Foods. This burrata had a slightly runny creamy interior. She supposed it was from better Italian milk. Now from going through your link, it was simply an adjustment to interior contents. Once you know, it is obvious, right?

I will be doing this.

Again, thanks!

Regards,

This is one of those processes that you imagine would be intimidating but end up being crazy simple. We had purchased the chemical ingredients already and on a sub-sub-zero weekend we just decided to give it a whirl. It was under an hour from start to finish. And when I say "finish", I mean the burrata was fully consumed.

Adjusting the filling requires a little finesse to get the right balance of crumbly curds/cream, but there's no "wrong" way to do it.

This is inspiring me to make some tonight. It's been a while.

Locally, City Winery makes a great burrata.

Hi,

It is interesting how burrata has become so easily available compared to when this thread originated nine years ago.

Regards,

Hi. I am making a recipe that calls for Burrata. It will the key ingredient so I want it to be excellent. Any suggestions where to buy it? River North and the Northside would be easiest for me to get to. Thanks much!

Thank you for introducing me to a food that I have never heard of. I am very curious how you will be using it.

Whole Foods carries burrata. So does Fresh Farms, but I’d be concerned about freshness.

The cheese counter at Eataly is your best bet, I'd say.

Hi lougord99,

Here is a link to the recipe. It looks pretty simple. You can see with the burrata taking the center stage, I really want it to be good.

https://food52.com/recipes/77876-ottole ... apes-basil


Also, thanks watson - that's a great idea and very close to my work.

Eataly sells two type of Burrata—a version made in-house and an imported one. The Italian imported burrata is much superior IMHO.

Just chiming in: if you are ever in Manhattan, the store where I monger, The Bedford Cheese Shop, Irving Place, teaches a burrata making session in our classroom fairly often. And, bonus, we get you tipsy. We also carry Brooklyn-made Pecoraro burrata. Eataly is a few blocks North. Take that, Eataly.

Love Bedford Cheese Shop, both locations. Highly recommended for anyone visiting NYC (even if you don't have a place to store cheese, you can always just stop in for a sandwich).

Prob not near as wonderful as something one can get at Eataly, however I get Burrata at Costco.