Yoghurt tips
My first Blog post of the year!
It has to start with my latest excitement. Could you guess ? It is yoghurt, why yoghurt, how to enjoy it & a recently discovered Turkish Yoghurt Cake Recipe which literally changed our lives here at Three Gables.
I love baking and finding new (to me) recipes which are simple, based on a few ingredients, easy to assemble and the most important measure for me is that my family enjoys it as much as, if not more than, I do.
So this brings new experimenting into my kitchen. And always on the look out for new and different ways to indulge in the most important meal of the day, breakfast. So this case, we discovered that our home made granola is a perfect match to our Natural live yoghurt, a lovely breakfast combination.
We all know about the importance of dairy in our diet, and I am sure many of you are already aware of the facts as to why Jersey milk and its products are particularly good for us. Milk from Jersey cows is a better source for a higher protein content and is naturally higher in nutrients and vitamins.
I included the Nutrition values of our pot of Natural Live Yoghurt below.
We also use Natural Live Yoghurt in a pancake batter. I cannot tell you how moreish they are.
The moist centre of these pancakes literally melts in one's mouth.
Another way of enjoying yoghurt is my childhood favourite: preserved fruit and yoghurt with a hint of cinnamon or with citrus zest. My grandmothers and my Mum were harvesting fruits from my grandfather`s orchard every summer . Cherries, morello cherries, peaches, apricot, plum, gooseberry and more. They were busy ladies preserving all these harvest fruits so they wouldn`t get wasted. Making jam, making jars of preserved fruit to see us through the winter. Or like my grandpa did: he used to make alcohol - palinka from different fruits!
Cherries were my favourite from the jar, with yoghurt and cinnamon. Or just eat a whole jar of fruit on its own.
Of course you cannot beat fresh seasonal fruit to accompany your yoghurt at breakfast. Strawberries, berries, fig or pineapple for example. They all go in harmony.
During our recent isolation I have discovered a Turkish Yoghurt Cake recipe. How intriguing is that! It`s light, citrussy, and most of all, creamy. Delightful.
The recipe is an adaption of Claudia Roden`s Turkish Yoghurt Cake.
Ingredients
butter for greasing
4 large eggs separated
100 g caster sugar
3 tbsp semolina or plain flour (we prefer semolina)
a pot Natural live yoghurt strained
grated zest and juice of lemon or rose water
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 Celius/160 Celsius fan/gas 4. Butter a round non-stick cake tin 8-9 inches with a removable base.
In a bowl, using a whisk beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and pale. Add the semolina or flour, strained yoghurt, lemon zest and juice and beat to a homogenous cream. Do take your time and make sure it is a cream texture with efficient length of beating.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the yoghurt mixture and pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top lightly browned. The cake will puff up like a souffle and then subside.
Let it cool before lifting it out onto a serving plate. Serve warm or cold.
Welcome to serve it with macerated strawberries or a choice of your fruit .
What to do with the whey strained from the yoghurt?
Don`t throw away the whey!
The longer the yoghurt is left to drip, the more whey gets out and the thicker the yoghurt will become. It is low in calories, packed full of protein, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and active bacteria and should definitely not get wasted.
Whey can be stored in the fridge, sealed in an airtight jar for up to 6 weeks or frozen for longer..
You can use whey
as a starter culture to inoculate another batch of homemade yoghurt
soak grains, nut and seeds so they are easier to digest
protein and enzyme boost for breakfast by substituting for milk or water when soaking flax or oats
substitute water or milk content in baking with whey. Probiotic, live bacteria won`t survive during cooking but the minerals, vitamins and proteins will. Whey will improve texture and alter the taste - perfect for sourdough bases or pizza
smoothies and shakes
tenderizing meat - soaking meat in whey will help tenderize protein.
can be added to pet food for extra flavour
make ricotta cheese
add it to your compost pile. It adds nutrients and makes a thick, black compost.