Gioia Mozzarella

This mozzarella is a revelation. I was never a fan of fresh mozzarella -- I prefer aged, "stinky"cheeses -- but that changed when I first had Burrata, fresh mozzarella with a heavy cream center. However, because of the fresh cream, Burrata has a shelf life of about 48 hours, and is prohibitively expensive. (You can find it featured in our summer feast from a few years ago.) When I discovered Gioia's mozzarella-- not Burrata, but almost as creamy and flavorful-- I ate the entire ball before it made it into the fridge. Then I bought another, and made this salad.

If you live in the LA area, I strongly encourage you to visit Gioia's factory in El Monte. If you live in the Bay Area, Berkeley's Country Cheese on Monterey & Hopkins gets a shipment in every other week.