You may have already read this on my Facebook notes. So here it is again...this time with links!
I read in Yoga Journal last month about how to make yogurt. It seemed pretty easy, so I figured I might as well give it a try. All-natural, pectin-free, made-fresh yogurt seemed like a worthwhile endeavor.
I used the recipe from Yoga Journal, which involves heating up 4 cups of milk to 185, then keeping it there for 30 minutes. Let it cool to 110-112, then add 1/2 cup plain yogurt. Put it in small-ish (8oz or so) containers that seal tightly. Place them in an oven that has been warmed and has a pan of boiling water at the bottom. Let sit for several hours: 6-8 for whole or low-fat milk, 10 for skim.
I was delighted when it actually worked. It was easy and yummy and made by me! After a couple of batches, I knew this was something I could keep up, since I love yogurt. But I wanted more than just my usual fruit, sweetener, and flax seed concoction. I also wanted a more consistent preparation method so I could know for sure that when I experimented, it would be my changes and not some temperature fluke that had results, good or bad. I consulted my online guru-for-everything: amazon.com.
I looked up yogurt makers and found several. After sorting through customer reviews, I settled on the one made by Donvier. It's moderately priced (pretty much in the middle at $50), has an automatic shut-off, makes about 6 cups of yogurt per batch, and replacement/extra cups and lids are reasonably priced. On Amazon, I got a little bit of a deal if I bought it along with the Donvier Yogurt Cheese maker. The yogurt cheese maker was regularly priced at $18, so it wasn't a huge investment and after peeking at customer reviews, I knew that yogurt cheese was the next step in this adventure, so I splurged.
I found a book called The Book of Yogurt by Sonia Uvezian. Customer reviews were very good. I also needed something to help me along my path to yogurt cheese usage, so I also picked up Not Just Cheesecake: A Yogurt Cheese Cookbook by Shelly Melvin, also highly reviewed.
I have not been disappointed. I've started using Uvezian's yogurt preparation method. I bring 6 cups of milk to 185 degrees, turn off the heat, let it cool to 110-112, add 3 TBSP yogurt and incubate for 10 hours in the yogurt maker. Then I transfer the cups of yogurt into the fridge.
To make yogurt cheese, I put three cups of yogurt into the yogurt cheese maker, which is basically an airtight square container with a strainer inside. It drains the whey (liquid) from the yogurt and leaves you with something resembling the consistency of sour cream and mimicking the taste of cream cheese--just tangier. From the yogurt you put in, you'll get about half that amount in yogurt cheese. I throw away the whey, but apparently, it's good in soups and can also be fed to infants who cannot digest milk. Who knew? I may try the whey in soup thing a bit later, but I'm not quite up to that yet.
I've tried a couple of recipes from Uvezian's book. One of my favorites so far is a dip/spread. Yogurt cheese (in place of reduced-fat cream cheese), yogurt, feta, fresh dill, mint, chives, and garlic. Totally fresh and close to non-fat. I served it with rye and pumpernickle and also used it on a tofu burger. I'll be trying a recipe from the soup section soon.
From the Not Just Cheesecake book, I've made...cheesecake. The first attempt I made exactly according to recipe. It was actually really good--tangy and spongy, not exactly cheesecake, but nothing to frown at. My complaints were that it had an eggy taste and I wasn't a big fan of no crust. For take two I used a premade graham crust and instead of using two eggs, I used 4 egg whites. This was not good. The absence of the fat in the yolks made the cake dry. It also wasn't very tangy. I think this might be because of the sweetness of the crust, but it also might have to do with the eggs. For my third attempt, I will keep the crust and try Egg Beaters instead of eggs.
Also with yogurt cheese, I substituted it for cream cheese when preparing the Harry and David Pepper Relish that Al and I both love. I also used it instead of sour cream when making onion dip. Both had great results. Al is using it as a garnish on his burgers and I've sweetened it with agave or honey and used it on English muffins.
Yogurt Maker:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Electronic-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B0000DE4TY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1244822014&sr=8-1
Extra Yogurt-Maker Supplies:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yogurt-Maker-Jars/dp/B0000DDXD2/ref=pd_sim_k_1
Yogurt Cheese Maker:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yogurt-Cheese-Maker/dp/B000064841/ref=pd_sim_k_2
The Book of Yogurt:
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Yogurt-Sonia-Uvezian/dp/0880016515/ref=pd_sim_k_2
Not Just Cheesecake: A Yogurt Cheese Cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Just-Cheesecake-Yogurt-Cookbook/dp/0937404454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244822175&sr=1-1
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1 comment:
Ang,
I'm so impressed. You are so domestic in your (very little) downtime!! You make your own yogurt?!! That’s cool. You and Al sound so healthy and organic. I love how adventurous you are in trying new things and how you use fresh ingredients. Sounds delicious! I always love your cooking/baking when we are in town.
So, I have something you could try that I think might go well with your Yogurt Cheese. It is recipe my friend taught me after one of her culinary classes in the city and I love it. You toast french bread (or whatever bread you want to use) and top it with honey and fresh ricotta cheese (or I am thinking your yogurt cheese) drizzle it with honey and top with strawberries. Eat it while it is nice and warm. It is easy and delicious.
P.S. I am putting all your stuff in the mail this morning. Dave had to go back three different times, but finally got everything. I guess they only let you get 1 of each thing per day.
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