Is something organic if it is shipped across the country? What about the fuel that is used and how that affects our environment, not to mention the freshness of the food and a myriad of other factors. Over the last few years i have been reading everything i can get my hands on to help me answer these and other questions so sit back, relax and explore where my quest has taken me thus far.
I have a new obsession for the Fage brand of Greek yogurt. It's got the greatest consistency and is not sugary. I love it with a little honey and a fresh banana or blueberries, it's really filling too which is great. I have a yogurt maker so I thought I would give making Greek yogurt a try. I cruised through a few other blogs and some cooking web sites to try to figure out what the difference is between Greek and other types of yogurt. I reviewed the ingredient list on the Fage 2% yogurt container as well. One major difference is that Greek yogurt is strained and the additional liquid (whey) is removed giving it a fuller body and creamier taste even it a lower fat milk is used. I also noticed that Fage uses 2% milk and cream. I have worked in enough restaurants and known the chefs of said places to know that fat in food is GOOD, it gives it flavor and fullness. I did not skimp, I eat well and portion my food so that should I want to indulge in something like cream in my yogurt I can and I will completely appreciate the full deliciousness. Here is the recipe I used:
Makes 1 Qt. 2 cups 2% milk 2 cups heavy cream yogurt culture 1tsp alcohol free almond extract
I use "yogourmet" yogurt culture, some people prefer to use yogurt from a previous batch or from the store, I found the below website to be very informative regarding different types of yogurts and the yogurt cultures.
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000176.html
Yesterday I followed the normal procedure, boiling the milk/cream then cooling it down to the appropriate temp to add the cultures and the almond extract, stirring and pouring into the yogurt cups (I have a donvier machine) I will be switching to a different type of machine because I hate having all the little cups to mess around with all the time. I let my yogurt set for 12 hours then refrigerated it overnight.
This morning I set up a stainless steel bowl, colander and coffee filter and put 3 of the 6 yogurts in the filter to start the straining process. I did not re-refrigerate it, I read that it separates better at room temperature, it's been straining for 7 hours and looks great, the yogurt is a little bitter tasting and did not have an almond flavor at all, I think I will incubate it for a shorter period of time (I heard that makes a difference so I will try it). I will refrigerate it overnight while still straining it and then do a side by side comparison of the Fage and my City Mouse yogurt!
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