Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta (Olive Garden Copycat Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is smoked mozzarella called? ›

Smoked scamorza or scamorza affumicata is one the most well known and sold product of our Caseificio Palazzo cheese factory.

But our fondue is quite versatile, so you can definitely switch things up by adding some of your favorite cheeses into the mix if you wanted. And speaking of cheeses, this fondue is made unique with its component of mozzarella cheese.

Place the aluminum pan holding the mozzarella on the cooking grate over the drip pan (not over the flaming charcoal). Cook, covered, making sure the lid's vent is over the mozzarella (not the fire), until the cheesecloth is amber in color, about 25 to 40 minutes.

One of the closest substitutes for smoked mozzarella is smoked Gouda cheese. Similar to smoked mozzarella, smoked Gouda has a distinct smoky flavor that pairs well with a variety of dishes. It has a creamy and slightly tangy taste, making it an excellent choice for melting or grating over pizzas and pastas.

The flavor is boldly smoky while the texture is just a bit drier than the fresh mozzarella. (If you'd like to try making some yourself here's a very detailed but untested recipe). It's a nice change from the delicate milky flavor of the fresh mozzarella.

Scamorza can be substituted for mozzarella in most dishes, but the resulting taste will be much stronger and more dominant. It is reputed to melt better in baking. Using the smoked variety (scamorza affumicata) adds a prominent background flavor in replacement of mozzarella.

Once you open it, fresh mozzarella or burrata will keep refrigerated for five days. Same goes for shredded mozzarella, despite whatever date is stamped on the package. Loaf mozzarella has a 21-day refrigerator shelf life once opened, and smoked mozzarella will keep for 28 days, according to Strange.

More like a cousin of mozzarella, scamorza is made in the same way as mozzarella but is a drier, firmer cheese. Scamorza is sold in the shape of a ball or pear in both plain and smoked varieties. It melts well and is less watery than fresh mozzarella.

We know it's tempting, but you should never use pre-shredded cheese for fondue. These packaged cheeses are covered in a starchy, anti-clumping substance that hinders the melting process.

The best all-around cheeses for fondue are fontina, Gruyère, and gouda. If you aren't sure what to pick, use even amounts of these three. Together are lush and complex. For classic Swiss cheese fondue (meaning one like what you would find in Switzerland), a mix of traditional, firm mountain-style cheeses is best.

What should you not do with fondue? ›

Don't: Double dip. Fondue etiquette suggests avoiding much mouth contact with your fondue fork since it goes back into the public pot. Overly conscious fondue-rs will remove their morsel from the fondue fork and eat from a separate plate and fork.

You can smoke any type of cheese that you like. The most popular cheeses to smoke include Mozzarella and cheddar. However, I have had great results with American, Monterey Jack, Gouda, Brie, Swiss, and even Gruyere.

With a light golden brown color on the outside, and a delicious, milky flavor on the inside, this premium cheese is packaged in thermoform for an extended shelf life. Use as an alternative to Fresh Mozzarella in nearly any application. This unique cheese melts beautifully, with a delicious distinct, smoked flavor.

There are many types of cheese you can cold smoke, but we recommend using harder cheeses since they will be least likely to melt slightly during the cold smoking process. Blue Cheese, Gouda, Cheddar, Brie, and Swiss are all examples for cheeses that taste great when smoked and have high melting points.

Solid milk fat in cheese begins to liquefy at 90°F (32°C). Because of this threshold, the most important key when cold smoking cheese is to keep your grill or smoker's internal temperature below 90°F (32°F) to keep the cheese from melting.

Smoked cheese is usually made with a hot or cold smoking process. In the cold smoking method, cheese is placed on top of chunks of ice to prevent the cheese from cooking while it absorbs smoke from a fire set with wood chips. Apple, oak, chestnut, hickory, or alder wood chips are typically used for smoking.

Product Description. Processed cheese with smoked Cheddar cheese and smoked butter.

If you can't find Scamorza, the next best thing is Smoked Mozzarella. Smoked Mozzarella is a fresh, handmade mozzarella cheese that is then placed in a smoker and smoked slowly with wood chips, like cherry wood. This imparts a delicate smokey richness to the cheeses fresh, milky flavor.