Yogurt cheese

 

Photo by nyt.com

It's been a year since my last (semi-successful) venture into homemade yogurt.

This time around I am working sans cooking partner and, worse yet, without the jar of dreamy Ethiopian starter that I managed to kill off months ago. But I am determined! My goal is to craft thick, creamy middle eastern style yogurt cheese for spreading and melting. It tastes like a cross between sour cream and cream cheese, but it's far healthier than either one.

After the initial boil, you can easily make yogurt by sealing it in a closed container and placing it in a dark, warm spot, like I did last year. Alternately, you can purchase a temperature-controlled yogurt maker, like the one I purchased this year.

You'll also need a very fine-grained cheese cloth bag with a string for hanging.

Recipe: Creamy Yogurt Cheese

Heat desired quantity of milk (whole or 2 % is best) until it boils (203°F) and starts to climb the side of the sauce pan.

Remove saucepan from heat and allow milk to cool to room temperature (68°F to 72°F).

Dissolve one tablespoon of plain, full-fat organic yogurt (Stonyfield Farm, Siggi, etc.) into the warm milk. Do not use low-fat or flavored yogurt. For some reason, Fage isn't great for this, either.

Once milk has cooled, strain it once through a fine sieve or a cheese cloth. Place in a sealed thermos in a dark, warm place, or into the electric yogurt maker.

Wait 8-12 hours, or overnight. Yogurt will have formed and set. Refrigerate to set further.

To thicken your yogurt into cheese, pour into a large cheesecloth bag and hang the bag over a sink or a bucket. Squeeze it gently to start draining the whey (keep the curds! they are cheese!). Keep the bag hanging another 8 hours.

Scoop your cheese out of the bag and refrigerate.

Now comes the fun. This versatile cheese can be used to make all kinds of wonderful spreads. Try some of the following flavor combinations or extrapolate:

-mix with chopped Italian herbs (oregano, parsley, etc.) and minced garlic

-stir in black olives or chopped chives

-fold in diced onion and a salted, smashed avocado

-top crackers with cheese, smoked salmon and capers

-serve Dahi-style, with chopped garlic, cilantro, mint, cumin and lemon juice

-serve sweet, blended with chopped fruit or berries

Mixed berry yogurt cheese spread, photo by EatReal

Alternately, go Lebanese by chilling balls of cheese until they are firm and rolling them in savory spices like zaatar.