by Sophia Stern
Late summer: the sun sets after 8pm, tomatoes are in season, and fresh mozzarella is being pulled every Friday and Saturday at the France 44 Cheese counter. In honor of all the things that we love about August, we’ve put together a perfect summer pairing. This week we’re featuring our fresh, house-pulled mozzarella, Heirloom tomatoes, and Piazza Grande Lambrusco so you can enjoy a no-cook dinner with a glass of wine on your front porch until you can’t stand the mosquitos any longer.
If you haven’t had our fresh mozzarella before, this isn’t like the stuff you buy at a grocery story. We pull our mozzarella around 9am. It stays warm, sitting on our counter until it sells out (usually around noon or 1pm). The mozzarella is at its peak the day it’s made and should stay out of the refrigerator. The texture is more pillowy than the low-moisture bricks you can buy off the grocery store shelves. Though delicate and mild, our fresh mozz is rich, dreamy and dynamic, making it easy to demolish a whole ball in one sitting. Our favorite way to enjoy the mozzarella is a classic: Heirloom tomatoes, really good balsamic and olive oil, a few basil leaves and a sprinkle of Maldon salt.
For the Lambrusco, France 44 Wine Specialist Karina writes
Piazza Grande is one of our perennial summer crushes. This rosé Lambrusco comes from one of the many cooperative wineries found in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region. It's technically a spumante carbonated wine, giving it a little livelier bubble than a frizzante wine (think Moscato). Made with two different varieties of the Lambrusco grape (Sorbara and Salamino), it's pressed quickly and doesn't see as much skin contact as more traditional red Lambruscos do. (It's also higher quality and much less sugary-sweet than the Lambruscos of the 80s and 90s!) The fact of the matter is that you need a gentle dollop of fruity sweetness to contrast the salty, milky goodness of the mozzarella. And if you throw some delicious balsamic on top of your mozz and tomatoes, the wine's fruitiness matches up perfectly against the sweet tang of the balsamic. All the elements flow together seamlessly, creating one of the best combo bites you'll put in your mouth all summer.
If you want to keep it as simple as fresh mozz and a glass of Piazza Grande, be our guest! If you want to go all the way, the tomatoes add a lovely acidity that balances the milky, richness of the mozz while the fruitiness of the heirlooms plays well with the fruit notes in the Lambrusco. Balsamic vinegar takes everything to the next level. Go for the Olivewood Balsamic for a sweeter, thicker drizzle. Balsamic vinegar is on sale this weekend for 15% off, so now’s the time to stock up.