Sometimes fresh mozzarella just won’t do. I love the soft, delicate texture and creamy mouth-feel of fresh buffalo mozzarella and the surprising sweetness and bounciness of fresh cow’s milk mozzarella. They are permanent staples in our kitchen. Artisanal versions of these cheeses abound, and our cheese purveyors have strong feelings and differing selections of fresh mozzarellas to tempt and seduce us. Burrata is no problem, and even smoked scamorza can be had with a quick phone call. Unfortunately, when I say that I’m looking for a more traditional American-style mozzarella for melting, baking, and stretchy, stringy, chewy goodness with a clean milky flavor, the silence is deafening. No one seems to carry it, sell it, or understand why I might want to purchase it. With all the great cheesemakers out there, someone must have a great riff on the traditional mozzarella. After all, it’s the cheese we all grew up on, dripping from pizzas, blanketing lasagnas, oozing out of calzones; hell, they even made a snack out of it called string cheese. Which, by the way, I’ve never understood — who wants to eat unmelted mozzarella? Where’s the fun in that? But I digress. If anyone out there has any suggestions or can point me in a promising direction for finding this elusive cheese that I know exists, the help would be greatly appreciated!
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