Greek Yogurt for a better world

Ok, so 'for a better world' is a slight exaggeration. Still, I deeply believe that Greek Yogurt is probably the single best thing that rocky peninsula on the Med has given us. And when one considers that a Greek island - Crete - is the basis for the Mediterranean diet, that's sayin' somethin'.

We'll get around to making Greek yogurt in a minute, but first: a little history. Back when I moved to Greece, the US had not yet embraced Greek yogurt, aside from specialty stores.

In Greece, there are several kinds of yogurt available, but the one we call 'Greek' yogurt is the traditional one - σταγγιστο. Strangisto means strained, which should give you a hint at how making Greek yogurt is done. When I mentioned my newfound love to my Mom, she told me that the States had now embraced ΦΑΓΕ, or Fage. ΦΑΓΕ (pronounced FAH geh, means 'to eat' but is an acronym for the family's company name) is a Greek brand, but while they probably make the best φετα (feta cheese), their yogurt is definitely not the best Hellas has to offer. If you're ever in Greece I cannot recommend strongly enough that you eat gobs of ΝΟΥ ΝΟΥ (pronounced noo-noo) yogurt - full fat (which is 10%). Its creamy goodness makes you believe in every impossible thing you've ever heard of.

After making Greek yogurt, there is no better way to eat it than the traditional ways: with spoon fruits or honey. Spoon fruits will be covered at later times, including the upcoming candied green walnuts and other lovely tasty preserves.

With all of that said: Recipe for making Greek yogurt at home.

'Proper', or traditional Greek yogurt is 10% fat, a feat achieved partly by adding cream to the milk and partly by straining off the non solid portions. I've tried it with the cream, but didn't find it made enough difference to worry about. I just use whole milk.

Make yogurt. Line a colander with a sterilized cheesecloth. Add yogurt. Wait until the yogurt is reduced by about 1/2. Throw away the whey, chill the yogurt. Eat.

That's the simple version. The more complex version is this:

Sterilize all equipment by boiling in water for a few minutes. Heat the milk to 185F or thereabouts, hold for 30 minutes. (this step encourages the milk proteins to align themselves correctly). Cool the milk to 110F. Add your starter (which can be a new, unflavored live active culture yogurt or a freeze dried yogurt culture). Insulate the mixture to hold it as close to 110 as possible. I usually keep it in a hot water bath, but you could also hold it in an oven with the pilot light lit or put it in a cooler with jars of boiling water. Whatever keeps it warm without getting it too hot and killing the culture.

Wait some hours. If the above part seems tedious or difficult, you could use a yogurt making machine.

Don't fuss with the yogurt. If you mix it around, the proteins won't bind and the texture will be wrong (though the taste will be just as good.) After some hours, use a spoon to see if it's ready. It's ready when it has a firm consistency which doesn't stick to the spoon. If it's slimy, it's nearly ready - check it every half hour.

When the yogurt is set or nearly set, do the cheesecloth/colander thing above. Chill. Eat. Enjoy.

While some might think of baklava as the eponymous Greek dessert, for me a Greek dessert is one of two things: fresh fruit or yogurt. Baklava is fine, it's okay, it's even good. But it's not an everyday treat. You could do worse than finishing each day with a plate of homemade Greek yogurt and honey. Much worse.

Stay tuned: I'll be candying green walnuts and if this crazy, ovenlike heat ever breaks, I'm going to make lemon hazelnut, lemon walnut, and lemon-black walnut biscotti. I will also be using my remaining raspberries in a profligate manner: to make real raspberry gelatin dessert.