Making Yogurt Cheese...

It's really quite simple, you know, making yogurt cheese. I don't know why I never attempted it before.

Every once in a while I need a cup of plain yogurt for a recipe, and I never can find a small container. It's always at least a pound or two. Why is that? Do yogurt manufacturers think that we can't possibly only need a cup?

Instead of throwing away the rest of my 2 pound container, I decided I would make yogurt cheese. I'd heard about it, but it seemed really too simple. I mean, I read Gourmet after all. Nothing in Gourmet is simple. I bet they've never printed a yogurt cheese recipe.

I lined a strainer with several layers of cheesecloth and spooned in about 2 cups of plain yogurt, and folded over the cheesecloth on top. I covered the strainer top with plastic wrap and set the strainer in a larger bowl, to catch the liquid (whey). I set the bowl in the refrigerator and waited 24 hours.

When I uncovered the cheese cloth, I had a nice little mound of yogurt cheese, and about a half a cup or maybe a little more of whey in the bottom of the bowl. I discarded the whey, although you could keep it and stir it into sauces or soups for some added flavor. Tasting the yogurt cheese reminded me of creme fraiche -- tangy, creamy and frankly delicious. Now I need to figure out what to do with it.

I think I'll spread it on some toast first. Perhaps Ooh La La, my favorite bread from Simply Bread. Yes, that's a great idea! Ooh La La is a dense, multi-grain bread studded with dried cranberries, raisins and walnuts. Mmmm. Perfect.