Homemade Mozzarella with Chef Todd English

Homemade Mozzarella with Chef Todd English Divya Gugnani: Hi, I'm Divya Gugnani and we’re here at Todd English’s Tuscany, where the flavors of Italy come to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Whether you choose to dine outdoors among the waterfalls or indoors in a rustic dining room, you’re definitely in for a treat. So, let’s go Behind the Burner and meet the chef for some mozzarella magic. I'm here with chef owner, Todd English. Todd, tomatoes, cheese, what are we making? Todd English: Something that’s very excited. This is mozzarella fatta in casa or actually homemade mozzarella. So, I'm going to have you make this. Divya Gugnani: I can do it. Todd English: Very simple, something very interesting. Now, what we do here, so we actually have this beautiful curd. Now, we have to buy this curd. You can’t buy this curd online and you could simply get it and it's really the best way to go. Divya Gugnani: It's the base, the cheese. Todd English: It is the base and you know it’s much more complicated to make the curd. Divya Gugnani: Right. Todd English: As oppose to doing this. Very fun to do and you can also control the consistency of the mozzarella, okay. So I’ve cut it up, alright, into little diced pieces like that. Divya Gugnani: And put in some very hot water. Todd English: Very hot water, and what it needs to be above the 190 degrees, and you know I'll make it as hot as possible because I find that it actually melts better and is actually has a better texture, okay. So once you do that one, once you stir that around-- Divya Gugnani: Okay. Todd English: You almost want to stir or lift, okay so we’re making this, we don’t want to stir, you kind of want to just -- Divya Gugnani: Lift? Todd English: Yeah, lift it a little bit making -- Divya Gugnani: Okay, I can get my hands ready. I'm capable. Todd English: I know, I know, I didn’t know you want to get a bit--. You know for those folks out there that are little sensitive, you can actually use a spoon. That works. Divya Gugnani: Okay, I can do my hands. It feels nice and hot -- Todd English: Right. Divya Gugnani: I'm kind of lifting. Todd English: Sometimes if the curd is very cold, it will cool the water down so you to have to bring that curd out a little bit ahead of time so it doesn’t cool the water down. Divya Gugnani: Burn my fingers, why don’t you. Todd English: Well, that’s how work. So it needs to be like as hot as you can stand, okay. Divya Gugnani: Yeah, I couldn’t stand that. Todd English: Yeah, that’s the way it should be as you can see. Divya Gugnani: Okay make fun, it’s really hot. Todd English: No, no, we will never do that. Stir and what we’re doing is actually melting the curd, okay. So, and you know always keep a little extra hot water because again, if the curds are at least bit cold, it will break it down a little bit, alright. Divya Gugnani: Right. Todd English: So, as that does that, it starts shaping, okay. Divya Gugnani: Right. It starts looking like cheese. Todd English: Very much like it starts looking like mozzarella, okay. Out it back in, ouch, ouch! Alright, and continue to stretch. And again, I like it very soft, okay. Now again, you know what's really interesting is when you do make it at this point and it's fresh and warm at tableside, it's absolutely so delicious because of that. So once you get in there, start stretching a little bit. Divya Gugnani: Okay, I can stretch. Todd English: Alright, okay. Divya Gugnani: Now it’s not as hot, so I can do stretching. Todd English: And while you’re doing that, I'm going to take these beautiful heirloom tomatoes or whatever is nice and ripe and what's in season, you know it's fine. I do a lot of other things. I like to just serve it with prosciutto. I serve it with sautéed mushrooms sometimes or just on a nice beautiful radicchio salad. Divya Gugnani: It starting to fall apart. That’s okay. Todd English: The beautiful thing about it again, Italian cooking when you think about it, you’re doing gorgeous. Divya Gugnani: Okay. Todd English: This is stretching. Divya Gugnani: There you go. Todd English: Okay now, I'm going to get hot again. Divya Gugnani: Yeah, keep more working it. And that will give you the texture and the actual consistency that you’re looking for in a mozzarella, gorgeous. Todd English: What happens when it starts pulling apart like it starts ripping? Is that okay? Divya Gugnani: It’s okay. Yeah, that’s part of the process. Todd English: Okay. Divya Gugnani: And then I kind of pull it together and do it again. Todd English: Right. Divya Gugnani: Like from the sides. Todd English: Just the sides, yeah. You’re a natural. Divya Gugnani: Alright, who knew I could make cheese. I have never done it. Todd English: Alright, so now for this salad, the tomato salad. Let me put it the other way. You actually will take basil now. There are a couple of ways. My grandmother who taught me a lot about my cooking, Italian--, we always say, “You must always rip the basil.” Like this, okay? One technique, there is also you can-- Divya Gugnani: I like ripping it because it just releases the oil in the basil and you get the basil flavor. Todd English: Right and it’s very much – you know in anytime -- Divya Gugnani: Alright, it’s a good tip. My mozzarella is starting to look like – I don’t know like fluffy taffy. Are you going to do your British accent for us because I know you’re good at it? Todd English: Oh no, just because my name is English, it doesn’t mean I have British accent. Divya Gugnani: You do though. You do have really good British imitation. Todd English: Alright. Divya Gugnani: Okay. Todd English: Beautiful, alright. We’re done. Divya Gugnani: Okay, so I can stretching, am I done stretching? I'm breaking your cheese in pieces. Todd English: You’re gorgeous and the mozzarella is gorgeous too. Divya Gugnani: Okay, there we go. Todd English: Alright, see? A chef is always trying to-- Divya Gugnani: Compliment his guest? Todd English: Be a chef. Divya Gugnani: Being chef. Todd English: We’ll just leave it at that. Alright, now, take that like that. Now at this point, if you’re going to store it, what I would do is actually-- gorgeous-- Divya Gugnani: It looks beautiful. Todd English: I mean actually you put a salt, brine, okay and that’s add a little bit flavor to it and also preserves it. What I love to do is serve it right out to the water. It’s-- Divya Gugnani: When it's nice and warm. Todd English: Warm and delicious and tender. Of course, we put a little bit of sea salt on there if you will. Divya Gugnani: Okay, I can do that. There we go. I love the texture to see salt. It gives it a little bit of crunch. Todd English: Isn’t that wonderful? Yeah. It's the crunch and a gorgeous flavor, a little bit of black pepper if you like a lot of black pepper, I love black pepper. You made the gorgeous mozzarella fatta in casa. Divya Gugnani: It’s delicious. Now, we got to taste it. Todd English: Absolutely, there’s a spoon out there. I’ll just grab it. Divya Gugnani: No, I don’t use spoon. And there’s like some real mozzarella a lot going on here. Todd English: Oh yeah, you want to do nice and stretch. Divya Gugnani: Pretty amazing I might say to myself. Todd English: You are awesome and I think you should – if this job doesn’t work out-- Divya Gugnani: I just start making cheese. Todd English: We always have another job for you. Divya Gugnani: Cooking in your kitchen? Thanks for having me. Todd English: Delicious, my pleasure. Great to have you here. Divya Gugnani: Stay tuned to Behind the Burner or we give you the tips, tricks and techniques that are lighting the culinary world on fire.