Front Burner: Yogurt flavor in high favor
Photo by Hiltrud Schulz. Courtesy of Interlink Publishing.
I’ve called my mother for plenty of food and cooking advice over the years, so it’s only fair that she occasionally comes to me with culinary questions.
Recently, I opened an email to find this message from Mom: “What is the difference between Greek yogurt and regular yogurt and why is it all the rage now?”
It is a great question and a topic I have been researching. But Greek yogurt is only one corner of a much larger picture: Whether it be tangy and plain or fruity and sweet, yogurt in general has experienced a remarkable boost in popularity.
Harry Balzer, vice president of the marketing research firm NPD Group, recently went so far as to declare yogurt “the food of the decade,” pointing to the fact that consumption of this creamy dairy product has more than doubled over the past 10 years.
To continue reading this column and to see recipes for herbed yogurt cheese spread, chicken in yogurt-orange sauce, and apricot and yogurt custard, please click here.
How often do you eat yogurt? Do you like to cook with it and if so, what are some of your favorite culinary uses for this versatile product?
March 20, 2013 - 10:13 AM
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When I was a kid back in the Seventies, when yogurt was making its once-a-decade comeback, I remember the Dannon fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt. I thought you had to eat through the horrible-tasting yogurt to get to the sweet fruit. Like a little reward for the effort. Oh, how far we’ve come.
Lindsey, there seems to be a cut-and-paste mixup in the “Cooking with yogurt” section of your column.
The process you describe for making yogurt cheese is the first step when I make tzatziki, which I developed a taste for during a junior year abroad program in Greece many years ago. It took me a long time to get used to American-style yogurt again after I got back!
Yes, some kind of technology glitch caused weirdness in the online version of the column. That should be worked out soon if not already. Thanks for letting me know, Laura.
I made a second batch of yogurt cheese since that column ran and let it drain for twice as long – I’d say about 30 hours covered with a tea towel in the fridge. It’s the consistency of chilled cream cheese. I’m going to fold in some honey and raisins and cinnamon and see how it tastes as a bagel spread.
Since I asked you this question, I have discovered that Greek yogurt makes an excellent substitute for sour cream. I made a batch of spinach dip with water chestnuts and Knorr vegetable soup mix and used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it’s excellent.
I do looove me some yogurt. I eat the Greek stuff with regularity. One really tasty yogurt recipe I like is Ina Garten’s Lemon Yogurt Cake:
(http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-yogurt-cake-recipe/index.html )
It calls for full-fat regular yogurt, which is what I use, but its worth it. It is delish — I’ve made it a couple times and brought it to work and everyone raves about it.
Without checking, my bet is that ‘regular’ yogurt is higher in sugar content than Greek yogurt. Also, I’ll make the wild bet that as Greek yogurt becomes more popular, the versions of it commercially available all also become higher in sugar content.
Knowing the US manufacturers method of hording customers, I’d make that an overwhelming likelihood. If you could get the listing from five years ago on any typical Greek yogurt, I’d bet it is even lower than the current rating.
Lindsey, your comment about yogurt cheese made me remember a cheesecake recipe I have, where you substitue yogurt cheese for cream cheese. It’s really good.
Low-Fat Orange Cheesecake
Begin preparing 2 days before you plan to serve it.
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tsps vanilla extract
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
5 Tbsp low-fat margarine, melted ( I use real butter)
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tsps grated orange peel
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 cup nonfat sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, separated
Line strainer with three layers of cheesecloth. Set over large bowl, and add yogurt. Fold cheesecloth over yogurt, and place in refrigerator. Let yogurt drain overnight. Discard liquid.
Preheat oven to 350. Mix graham cracker crumbs, vanilla extract and cinnamon in small bowl. Mix in butter. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9 inch springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool. Maintain oven temperature.
Boil orange juice and grated peels in small saucepan, until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 9 minutes. Cool.
Mix drained yogurt, reduced orange juice mixture, sour cream, sugar, flour and yolks in medium bowl to blend. Beat egg whites in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into sour cream mixture in 2 additions.
Pour filling into crust. Bake cheesecake until filling sets, about 30 minutes. Remove cake from oven and cool on rack. Refrigerate overnight.
Using small knife, cut around sides of cake to loosen. Release pan sides and transfer cake to platter.
That looks excellent, Debbie. Thanks!
I eat yogurt for breakfast daily ~ have loved it since I was a kid. I miss Yoplait’s pear flavor (think it was discontinued). Greek yogurt is good but I have a sweet tooth so I prefer regular type yogurt w/ fruit mixed in.
I eat yogurt almost daily. Most of the time, it’s plain, non-fat Greek, but sometimes it’s light or whipped flavored yogurt. Sometimes I like to use it instead of sour cream on baked potatoes. Instead of buttermilk, I occasionally Greek yogurt thinned with a little vinegar and use it for dipping chicken or green tomato slices into before dredging in seasoned flour, then frying. I eat it combined with fruit and nuts, sometimes sweetened with Splenda and flavored with a dash of vanilla or other flavoring. I use it for making dips or many other things that call for the addition of sour cream. And yes, I’ve used regular non-fat yogurt after draining much of the liquid from it, as well. Now, if I could just get my husband to eat it, too.
I have to say, Lindsey, that photo you included with the blog is EXTREMELY enticing. I get hungry just looking at it! Talk about a five star presentation, wow!
A friend asked why I went to the trouble of making yogurt cheese instead of using cream cheese, but it’s really no trouble just extra time, and I wanted to try the recipe.
Vickie all of your tips sound great.
Vickie, you’ve found all kinds of tasty ways to incorporate yogurt into your diet! Thanks for the ideas.
Yes, this picture was one of my favorites from “The Yogurt Cookbook” and that’s why I requested it from the publishing company. It is for a dish called portakal salatasi, or orange and yogurt salad. I will post that recipe in the next couple of days along with the barley soup recipe from the picture that ran in the paper. Another reader asked for that recipe.
MJ, you should buy a cup of Chobani Greek yogurt and see how you like it. I have a sweet tooth as well but I find that the Chobani is sweet enough for me when I stir it well. The pineapple is my favorite. The only flavor I have not found sweet enough was the banana.
MJ-Chobani has a pear flavor! I thought it would be wierd but its YUMMY and not quite as tart as some of their other flavors.
Debbie: That cheesecake recipe looks awesome! I’m not a choco-holic (I know, I know…) so cheesecake is possibly my very favorite dessert.
For some reason it’s always been one of those dishes that intimidates me (same with homemade breads) but I think it might be time to give it a try.
It is really good, Rebecca. I’m not a chocoholic either, although I do crave it sometimes. Even then, just a small piece will do. I amaze coworkers by being able to hold onto a candy bar for a long time, just breaking off a small piece when I want it. Go for it with the cheesecake!
Homemade bread too. The major thing with yeast bread is don’t get the water or milk too hot. You want it pretty warm, but not so hot that you can’t touch it. If you like crusty bread, this recipe is as easy as it gets. It tastes like artisanal bread from a bakery, with almost no effort at all.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html And remember the ingredients are pretty cheap, so even if you mess up the first time, try again.
Thanks, ladies!
I really am a fan of Mark Bittman. He has some great recipes of all types. Very easy to follow, and very healthy, too.
Here is a great recipe for Curried Carrot Soup w/ Yoghurt: Cook 1 lb of carrots in 3 c. chicken stock. Meanwhile saute 1 onion minced in 2 Tb. butter. Stir in 1 & 1/2 Tbs curry powder. Puree everything in blender or food processor, or use the immersion blender you got for the holidays. Add S & P to taste. (You can freeze it at this point). Stir in 1 & 1/2 c. plain yoghurt. Heat but do not boil. Wonderful!