Yogurt

[clevermanka]

Remember when I made my own yogurt and was happy with everything but the thickness? Well, I tried doing it again this weekend, only I cooked the milk down so about two cups of water were removed before I put it in the crockpot.

It came out plenty thick, alright. And with lumps. It's not as rich and creamy, and has a slightly sour flavor (like store-bought plain yogurt). It's fine for cooking--I made a lovely spinach-egg casserole using it instead of the usual cottage cheese--but I won't be eating it plain, as I'd intended.

Dang.

Next time, I'm going to try _luaineach's suggestion of adding powdered milk instead of cooking out the liquid.

Comments

[royal-spice.livejournal.com]

*ears perk*

Spinach egg casserole involving either cottage cheese or yougurt? Sign me up. :)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

It's so simple I hate to call it a recipe. Also, it's hugely variable, depending on if you want a breakfast casserole, a side dish for a meal, or whatever.

Preheat oven to 375. Mix beaten eggs and cottage cheese in an amount to your liking with some frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (or fresh spinach, sauteed). Add cheese (parmesan, sharp cheddar, feta, whatever) if you please. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish and bake, covered for 30-45 minutes or until casserole is firm. If you want a browned top, remove foil and bake for another ten minutes or so.

I've made this with an entire container of cottage cheese and six eggs. Or a couple scoops of yogurt and a dozen eggs. I've added various spices and herbs (tarragon, thyme, Mural of Flavor, Italian Blend, etc.) and the only thing I do that's consistent is I never add salt before serving. Oh, and sometimes I top it with sliced Roma tomatoes.

It's a nice thing to throw together because it's so malleable--you can use it for all different parts of a meal. And you really can't mess it up. I've overbaked (almost burned it) before and it came out fine.