the greeks have it

i discovered the joys of greek yogurt less than a year ago. it’s creamy. it’s smooth. it’s thick and oh, so good with honey. in fact, i love it with honey. some people can take it plain. those must be the same people that enjoy their coffee black.

plain is simply joyless. there is no fun in plain yogurt. yogurt is meant to have stuff in it. why else would dannon put the fruit on the bottom? of course, commercial yogurts in the U.S. just don’t stand up to the greeks. it’s like comparing homemade pasta with kraft macaroni and cheese.

there are some who enjoy making their own yogurt. perhaps one day, i will take the challenge. in the meantime, i’m happy to skip over to trader joe’s and pick up a little tub of FAGE and call it a day. but for those who would like to give it a go, here’s a recipe for the homemade stuff from the New York Times:

4 cups whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk

2 tablespoons plain yogurt with live active cultures, greek or regular.

1. in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a boil. remove from the heat and let the milk cool to 110 to 115 degrees on an instant read thermometer. transfer the milk to a ceramic container or pyrex pan.

2. place the yogurt in a cup. add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the warmed milk and stir to mix. pour the yogurt mixture into the milk and stir to mix. cover the container with a towel or a dinner plate. do not use an airtight cover, as the bacteria need to breath. set in a warm place (70 to 100 degrees), until the yogurt has set and the texture resembles flan or cheesecake, anywhere from 6 to 12 hours, or more, depending on the temperature and the quality of the starter. (an oven turned off with a pilot light is a good place or in a cabinet over a warm oven.) transfer to the refrigerator, cover tightly and use within 4 days. makes 1 quart.

3. don’t forget to put your yogurt through a cheese cloth or similar strainer to slough off the excess liquid. yogurt can get pretty sloppy.

enjoy!