Library Hosts Fresh Mozzarella Making Class

It was a full house on Jan. 19 as the Sayville Library hosted a class on how to make fresh homemade mozzarella. Chef Rich Kanowsky, who is an executive sous chef for Hearst Publications in Manhattan, led the class. Kanowsky has also worked at Carnegie Hall, La Plage in Wading River, and he and his wife own Patchogue-based Kanobley Catering, which specializes in high-end restaurant style dining.

The class was broken up into two parts – the how-to of making the curd followed by the hands-on cheese making. In terms of equipment needed to make the curd, you must have a 6 to 8 quart stainless steel pot (not aluminum since it’s porous), a slotted spoon, a colander, a knife, a large mixing bowl, a thermometer, and a pot of water heated to 175 degrees and heavily salted. Ingredients include a gallon of whole milk (locally produced), 2 teaspoons of citric acid and half a tablet of vegetarian rennet (found at a specialty store).

Chef Kanowsky told participants about the dos and don’ts of making curd. For example, the water must be slowly heated to 90 degrees and you need to stir vigorously while adding to milk to avoid spoilage. You also need to make sure the curd is the right consistency (like a custard) and if not, let it sit longer. You then cut the curd into 1-inch checkerboard squares and slowly raise the temperature up to 105 degrees, he said.

While the process isn’t overly complicated, it can be a little time consuming, so Chef Kanowsky offered another option for making your own fresh mozzarella: buy the curd and then do the rest yourself. Curd is usually sold in any store you would find fresh mozzarella, and is significantly less expensive than buying it ready-made, he said.

Here’s where the hands-on portion of the class began. Participants placed their curd in a large bowl and slowly added 175 degree water around the edges of the bowl. Basically the curd starts to melt together and the lumps begin to work out. Next, they lifted the curd out of the bowl and let gravity do the work, stretching it and turning in on a 90-degree angle until it had a smooth, shiny look. It then went back in the water to smooth out any folds and melt the seams. All the participants then were able to roll them into a ball by cupping the cheese under with their fingers and wrap it up to take home, or taste right there.

Chef Kanowsky also offered up a few recipes and ideas for serving the fresh mozzarella. “You can pick off little pieces and make them into balls for boccacini,” he said. “Marinated boccacini with olive oil and salt and pepper are delicious. You can make pinwheels or braids, and wrap the cheese in prosciutto, which also makes a nice presentation.” Chef Kanowsky will be back at the library on Feb. 23 for a class on homemade ravioli.