On Saturday, I attended a fresh Mozzarella-making class hosted by Rynn Caputo, President of Caputo Brothers Creamery. The class lasted two hours and was held at lovely A Toute Heure, a farm-to-table restaurant in Cranford, New Jersey.

The class was attended by 25 cheese fanatics and everyone had a chance to make cheese under the tutelage of patient-beyond-words Rynn.

Working from frozen then thawed curd base, hot water and salt were added and gooey cheese began forming.  It is an art to know when to stop stirring the hot water and curd mixture and when to begin stretching the cheese to make it silky, smooth.  “Doing this process at home is a great way to teach kids about cheese making with a cheese that most of them are already familiar with from eating pizza.  It gets them excited about food and encourages them to participate in the cooking process”, says Caputo.

Rynn molded the fresh cheese into balls, tore it into long strings for Burrata, creamy-cheese filled cheese (brilliant) and flattened it, pizza dough-style, for pesto-stuffed pinwheels.  I have not had a better fresh Mozzarella cheese, even in Italy.  The cheese is perfectly salted, soft, milky and overall, heavenly.

A Toute Heure features Caputo Brothers Creamery cheeses at to the delight of its loyal clientele.  Executive Chef Kara Decker is thrilled to offer Burrata and Burino, butter-stuffed fresh cheese, to her clients, and I cannot wait for my next visit to sample her summer menu.

For details on future events hosted by A Toute Heure, access its Events Page.

To learn about Caputo Brothers Creamery, where to buy its products and to find information about its future classes, access its website.

Cheers,

Veronique