[Sca-cooks] Greek yogurt RE: cream cheese

[Judith Epstein]

On 14 Dec 2009, at 4:53 PM, Stefan li Rous wrote:

> D'vorah said:
> <<< When I make Greek yogurt for myself, I start with Nancy's yogurt, a brand I'm not sure is USA-wide; >>>
> 
> Okay. Now, I'm confused.
> 
> What is the difference between "Greek yogurt" and "yogurt"?  I thought it was a different process or critter (yeast?) being used. But if that is the case, how could you turn one version into the other? And if so, why not start with milk instead of another yogurt?
> 
> How do you take Nancy's yogurt, or a substitute and turn it into Greek yogurt? I've never made homemade yogurt, and I'm unfamiliar with that process.
> 
> Thanks,
>  Stefan

Greek yogurt is essentially regular yogurt with more of the whey removed, a denser yogurt, though not as dense as, say, labna. You take regular yogurt (plain, low-fat or non-fat is best; bonus points if you can find sheep or goat milk yogurt) and dump it into a strainer that has been lined with several layers of cheesecloth and set over a basin in the fridge -- make sure the fridge doesn't have any funky smells in it, because milk products always soak up funky smells. If need be, do all of this in a huge bucket with a lid on it. The whey will drip out of the yogurt and into the basin. Discard it once a day for three to five days. Then your Greek style yogurt is ready. Let it sit for a week or ten days, and you'll get labna, but for this, I prefer yogurt that's not non-fat -- low-fat or regular is better, to my mind, and for this, I always start with sheep's milk yogurt or goat's milk yogurt.

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D'vorah, mka Judith Epstein
Master Albrecht Waldfurster's Egg
Middle Kingdom, Midlands, Ayreton, Tree-Girt-Sea (Chicago, IL)
judith at ipstenu.org
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