Buffalo Mozzarella

[theresah]

I am addicted to this stuff. I never buy the balls from the deli. I have a few preferences, but would like to get your opinion as well. Where have you found the freshest?

[Tor.hound]

Was on Dufferin today to grab some stuff from Lady York (dufferin south of Lawrence) they had the ontario Buff-Mozz as well as Grande Cheese on Orfus.

[redearth]

My local Costco has Italian Buffalo Mozzarella for $9 a piece, and it's excellent! I've had three already this week! Get it while you can!

[1sweetpea]

How far off is the "use by" date? I know what you're thinking: it never lasts more than 5 minutes. I want my folks to buy some in Toronto tomorrow and bring it down to Windsor for me next week. Will it still be okay? I hardly ever see it here and when I do, a small container costs $9.99. I'm craving a true pizza margherita and want to try making one at home, since no Windsor joint would ever dream of using mozzarella di bufala on a margherita pizza. Most places won't even put fresh basil on it, let alone the most awesome cheese around. BTW, do I need to drain the cheese for a while before putting it on the 'za or do I just slice it up and toss the rounds on as is?

[jayt90]

You could ask them to get fresh Ontario buffalo mozzarella at Olympic (SLM) as well as the Costco product, and compare the two for us.

[1sweetpea]

Oh, what a decadent task! I'll see what I can do.

[Davedigger]

Which section did you find it in? I'm doing a quick Costco run tonight and won't have time to browse.

[berbere]

I was at the Warden/Ellesmere Costco a few days ago and saw the buffalo mozzarella in the cheese/cold cuts section, which is next to the breads/bakery section - think i saw it for 8.99

[Tatai]

Wouldn't it be great if someone in Ontario started to raise water buffalo in order to produce local mozzarella di bufala? It's being done in B.C. and in Vermont! www.fairburnfarm.bc.ca/buffalo.htm
www.bufaladivermont.com.
Hint, hint.

[BodyByCheese]

Gotcha! ;) I'll get right on that.

[mlukan]

They make it in Wisconsin as well but supposedly none of them compare to the stuff straight from Italy. The freshest Ive found was from Global Cheese in Kensington Market. The one thing Ive found when talking to cheese mongers is they never know for sure when they are getting there next shipment from Italy. I guess its a very random. I usually call places ahead of time to find out if they have it for one because it is in high demand right now, and when it was delivered to them fresh. Alex farm in St Lawrence keeps a special stash for regulars as they told me sometimes restaurants come and buy their entire stock.

[jayt90]

Fresh buffalo mozzarella is being made in Vaughan and sold by Olympic, The herd is in Hastings county.

It is best used within 48 hours, so the local product has an advantage over Italian. Also a cost advantage.

-----
Olympic Cheese Mart
93 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E, CA

[Tatai]

There's a herd of water buffalo in Hastings County? Wow! How's the cheese? And freshness is definitely an issue: I've never had imported Italian mozzarella di bufala that tasted nearly as good as the cheese does in Italy.

I've heard that Ruth Klahsen is planning to make real mozzarella di bufala once Monforte Dairy is back in operation next year.

[bacchus_is_watching]

If this is the herd I'm thinking of it's out near my parents. My mom called me excited when she drove by and noticed the cows were gone and a local paper explained they were buffalos and that they will be mazing mozza!

[Tatai]

I just picked up some of the local mozzarella di bufala at Olympic. It's much more flavourful than the imported cheese, with a lusher, more elastic (but not plastic-y) texture, too. The only thing I noticed is a very slight, mildly odd aftertaste that might be coming from the plastic container. Thanks for getting the word out about this, jayt90.

$10.99 for one 250g ball.

[jayt90]

It is also available at the cheese factory in Vaughan, but I didn't catch the name before a post was removed.

[Tatai]

The label is Quality Cheese/Bella Casara.

[Wahooty]

Just made a pizza out of this stuff, and it's pretty good. But if it matters, I opened my tub expecting one ball and had 5 smaller balls. Still 250 g, and in my case, the exact shape didn't matter. But if it does to you, look at the containers more carefully than I did. :)

[Tatai]

That's odd, but thanks for the warning. Did you detect any slightly odd aftertaste, Wahooty?

[Wahooty]

When I sampled it straight out of the container, maybe. I think it's a freshness issue - there's a little bitterness around the edges that I usually associate with the older mozzarella that I get at the supermarket. So I imagine it could be better the more people know about it and thus, the higher the turnover. But the bulk of the cheese was very good, and nice texture.

[Tatai]

That's probably it. I haven't had a chance to use the cheese yet (shame on me!), and have only tasted it straight from the container.

And texture-wise, I much prefer a large ball of cheese to a few smaller balls; the internal gooeyness is more prevalent.

[grandgourmand]

My wife picked up some of the local stuff at Grace Meat Market. It was $5 for 125 grams. So cheaper, thank Olympic, but not by much. I tried a bit, and it was very tasty, fresh. But I have a cold, so my taste buds aren't super conditioned right now.

[duckdown]

the Cheese Boutique!

[ttckitty]

Cheese Magic in kensington carries European (Italian?) buffalo mozz in individual containers. The price is a bit steep, around $7 for a ball, but it is really tasty.

[bacchus_is_watching]

A butcher near me (Bloor and Ossington) sells the individual containers for $5 which is a steal compared to other places I've been. It's delish!

[acd123]

Which butcher?

[bacchus_is_watching]

I can't remember the name but if you come out of Ossington station and walk west on the North side of the street is is a few windows down from the CIBC. It's a long narrow store...I'll try to grab the name tomorrow!