I first fell in love with burrata about five years ago, while dining at Becco (becco-nyc.com/) in Manhattan where they serve it warm and melted over broccoli rabe.
From there, my husband I launched a search for burrata, a wonderful Italian cheese that originated in Puglia. It is made from mozzarella and cheese, with a firm outer shell and a rich, creamy delectable center.
We began making periodic jaunts into Philly's Italian Market to buy burrata - which must be eaten fresh and comes wrapped in lime leaves - from Claudio's (www.claudiofood.com). At first, Claudio's was having it sent from Italy, and it had to be sold and eaten the same day it arrived. Now, the market makes its own, and it's fabulous.
This is still the best bet to get extremely fresh and larger burrata. (I recommend you pre-order because they do sell out.) And, hey, who doesn't love a visit to the Italian Market?
But now there is a way to get some of my favorite cheese closer to home. I was ecstatic when a friend at the Wegmans (www.wegmans.com) cheese shop in the Cherry Hill store pointed out fresh burrata to me. It is coming to the store now from DiStefano (www.distefanocheese.com/product.html) in California, and it is nearly as good as what I dined on at Becco. The only compromise I can see is that the lime leaf is plastic.
It doesn't come cheap ($10 for a ball just a bit larger than a typical fresh mozzarella), but it is worth every single penny. Slice it onto salad, lap it up with tapenade or pesto on crostini, slather it onto fresh pasta, or warm it slightly (just slightly) and serve with broccoli rabe and garlic.
That is, if you can avoid eating the entire thing right after you open it.
