I've made my own cheese before -- several different kinds, in fact -- but I've never done homemade yogurt. With cheeses it can sometimes be difficult to find a really good cheese of the variety you want. Or the labeling is too vague for you to really be able to tell what it's gonna be like. So making your own can provide some clear benefits. With yogurt, the labeling generally provides ample information and I'm really spoiled for choice on types and flavours. All that being said, I figured it'd be nice to try making some yogurt because it's one of the quicker and easier cultured dairy products to make. And also, from a somewhat completionist standpoint, it'd be nice to say that I've done it.

Yogurt

From the Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Ingredients

• 1L whole (3.25%) milk
• 1/4 c. plain yogurt¹

Directions

1. Heat milk to 85°C (185°F).
2. Allow to cool to between 40 and 46°C (105-115°F)².
3. Whisk in yogurt.
4. Hold at 43°C (110°F) for 6-12 hours. (I like to pour it into Mason jars before incubating. Volume will be slightly more than 1L due to added yogurt so use three 500mL jars.)
5. Transfer to fridge. Yogurt should keep for ~2 weeks.

Tips:

• For milder yogurt, use less starter (only 2-3 Tbsp.) and incubate only 6 hours. For tangier yogurt, use the full 1/4 c. of starter and incubate 12 hours.
• Some whey may separate out. It may be poured off or stirred in. Stirring in will result in thinner yogurt.
• To make thicker yogurt, stir 1/3 c. dry milk powder into milk before heating.
• For even thicker yogurt, sprinkle 1 tsp. unflavoured gelatine over milk after stirring in milk powder.

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Variations

Greek Yogurt

Ingredients

• 1L whole (3.25%) milk
• 1/4 c. plain yogurt

Directions

1. Make yogurt as above.
2. Line a fine mesh strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth (or a single layer of butter muslin) and set over a large mixing bowl or pot.
3. Once yogurt has finished incubating, pour into lined strainer and let drain overnight.
4. Transfer yogurt back to jar (or storage container of choice) and refrigerate.

Vanilla Yogurt

Ingredients

• 1L whole (3.25%) milk
• 1/4 c. plain yogurt
• 2-4 Tbsp. honey
• 1-2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make yogurt or Greek yogurt as you prefer.
2. Stir in honey and vanilla. If your honey has a very strong flavour use only 1-2 Tbsp. and, if it's still not sweet enough, add 1-2 Tbsp. of sugar instead of more honey.

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¹ Make sure that the yogurt you're using as a starter has live cultures. Also be sure that it doesn't have any sweeteners, flavourings, or gelatin. ^Back
2 The author says that it should only take 5 minutes for the milk to cool down to an appropriate temperature, but mine took ~30 minutes! ^Back

Beef Stroganoff

This recipe comes from The Home Creamery, which -- in addition to ­recipes for various dairy products -- includes some recipes for things to do with them. This recipe is written for sour cream, but we had made a delicious batch of crème fraîche and had just about the right amount left.

This recipe is slightly altered from the original to account for that and upping some of the seasonings.

We served it over whole wheat rotini, but like all stroganoffs it would probably work with a wide variety of substrates, including rice or egg noodles.

Ingredients

• 45mL salted butter
• 1kg sirloin and/or striploin steak, cut across the grain into strips
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 500g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 15mL flour
• 3mL hot paprika
• 3mL cayenne
• 10mL freshly ground black pepper
• 320mL crème fraîche

Procedure

1. Melt 15mL of the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add the steak and cook, turning often, until browned and cooked through. Remove to bowl with a slotted spoon.
3. Melt another 15mL of butter and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until soft, ~10 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms shrink, release their liquid, and soften, ~10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and onions to the same bowl as the steak.
5. Add the remaining butter, the flour, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.
6. Stir in the crème fraîche to form a homogenous sauce.
7. Return the meat, onions, and mushrooms to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce until heated through.

I'm trying to get into back home cheese making. I used to make paneer at home semi-frequently. I ventured into some other unripened cheeses at home back when I first started working at the dairy, but I never really got any momentum with it or got a good feel for doing it at home on a very small scale. I would like, though, to start experimenting with making my own cheese at home.

Last time I think I got a little ahead of myself. I tried to do too much too fast before I had either the knowledge, confidence, or tools. This time I'm going to try to take things a bit slower. I started out with a basic paneer, just to ease myself back into things. And today I did a simple, direct acidified goat cheese. I generally find direct acidified cheeses quite boring. I like cultured and ripened cheeses. They're more interesting, have more flavour, and are more fun to make. But, as noted, I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. So I'm starting with simple, direct acidified stuff. And, I gotta say, despite my disdain for the "just add acid" cheeses, this one was really quite nice! It looks beautiful and has a wonderful texture and, although it is very mild, the flavour is excellent!

Fresh Goat Cheese

Slightly adapted from The Home Creamery

Ingredients

• 2L whole (3.8%) goat's milk
• 125mL apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Slowly heat the milk to 80°C, stirring frequently to prevent sticking or scorching.
2. Hold milk at 80° for 10 minutes.
3. Slowly pour in vinegar, stirring to incorporate. Milk should curdle producing small white curds and clear, slightly greenish whey.
4. Pour mixture through a cheesecloth¹ lined colander. (Whey can be saved and used for baking or discarded.)
5. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth together, tie, and hang the cheese to drain. (If not hanging over the sink, place a bowl underneath to catch the whey that drips out.)
6. Allow to drain for at least half an hour (for a softer cheese) or up to five hours (for a slightly firmer cheese).
7. Can be eaten immediately or kept in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Serving Suggestion:

Radishes with Goat Cheese

Adapted from Real Simple

1. Break up cheese with a fork and stir in 1 Tbsp. olive oil + salt and pepper to taste. (I like using a nice coarse salt for this.)
2. Slice radishes and use to scoop up mounds of mild, creamy cheese.

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¹ If using cheesecloth purchased at a grocery store, use a triple layer. If you can find it, "butter muslin" will work much better. Cheesecloth from an actual cheese making supply house will tend to be much better quality and can be washed and reused. Plastic "cheesecloth" is also an excellent option. It's much easier to clean than actual cloth. The drawback is that it also tends to be somewhat more fragile and can tear if you're too rough with it. All that being said, grocery store cheesecloth can be used successfully, it's just a bit of a pain since it can't be reused and also you need multiple layers and the curds have a tendency to get caught between them. It does make for a cheap and easily available option if you're just getting started though. And is, in fact, what I'm using right now until the rest of my supplies come in.^Back