We've got company coming today! It's been pretty lonely on the homestead this winter. With all this snow and ice we haven't had much company. I'm planning and preparing all the food we are going to serve. One of my favourite recipes for entertaining is our yogurt cheese. I've shared photos of this recipe but I don't think I've shared the actual recipe yet!
It's incredibly versatile and easy to make. You can add any blend of herbs, edible flowers or seasoning that you want. I often involve guests in the task of foraging for edibles and making it . All you need is high fat yogurt, some garden chives, flowers or herbs and a pinch of salt. Bundle it up and let the magic happen.
The finished cheese has a lovely texture. Its a cross between cream cheese and goat cheese in texture. The flavour is bright, zesty and fresh. The presentation is beautiful.
Directions
Chop up your flowers/herbs. You can even used dried herbs if that's all you've got just be sparing with them.
Be sure to remove the stems and green parts of the flower as they taste bitter. Chop up chives or green onion. In these photos I used 1/2 cup of lilac petals & 1/4 cup green onions. I can't wait to recreate that combination ..come on spring!!!
Add the following to a bowl and stir to combine:
- Chopped flower petals, herbs & onions
- One cup of full fat plain yogurt
- A few pinches of salt (1/8th tsp)
note: The salt really brings out all the flavours and I don't recommend omitting it from the recipe unless you absolutely have to!
Place a double thickness square of cheese cloth or muslin on your counter top. Sprinkle some whole flower petals on the surface of the cheese cloth. Pour the yogurt mixture on the centre of the square. Gather up the corners and sides of the cheese cloth and secure with twine to form a bundle.
Suspend this ball over a bowl and let the liquid drip out for 24 hours. The whey (liquid) that drains out of the yogurt is a great source of protein and calcium. You can use it in smoothies or add it to drinks or porridge.
When done, gently remove the cheese cloth and enjoy.
These photos were taken last spring. I'll be making today's batch using whatever we have in the pantry. We still have a lot of snow on the ground and nothing fresh to forage or collect. That's the beauty of this recipe though, it's so versatile!
If you want to take it a step further you can also make your own yogurt. Here's a recipe from @slhomestead.
Building a greener, more beautiful world one seed at a time.
Homesteading | Gardening | Frugal Living | Preserving Food| From Scratch Cooking|
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