By Emily Moore , JTNews Correspondent
How many days go by in our busy lives that we don’t eat dairy products? There’s a plethora of wonderful cheeses, from cream cheese on our bagels to Parmesan for pasta. We have sour cream, cottage cheese for the kids, and of course, yogurt. With Shavuot, we celebrate dairy and the central place it has in our lives.
There seems to be a mystery to “secondary” dairy items — cheese, sour cream, yogurt: We all know they’re made from milk, but how did they get from liquid to solid, or liquid to creamy and delicious? Let’s try to solve the mystery and even encourage you to make your own!
Yogurt
First, yogurt: yogurt is made by heating milk to about 110º to 115º, mixing in other yogurt, and keeping the mixture at about the same temperature for a few hours or until the milk has completely accepted the enzymes from the yogurt and thickened. This process is called “culturing,” where the milk is cultured by the bacteria in the original yogurt.
Much of the yogurt you buy in the store is made with cornstarch, gelatin and a variety of gums and preservatives to make sure that it will survive through its three-four week expiration date. When you make your own, you can use the freshest nonfat, lowfat or extra-rich milk if you want, and make sure the milk is organic and rGBH (growth hormone) free. Your yogurt will last about two weeks, refrigerated.
Here’s a simple way to do it: Save a couple of mayonnaise jars or quart mason jars if you usually buy yogurt in quarts; use pint jam or mason jars if you want to make smaller quantities. Buy enough milk to make the quantity of yogurt you want, and buy enough plain yogurt to supply one half cup per quart or one quarter cup for each pint.
Wash the jars and lids completely in hot water — then wash them again. If there are any foreign bacteria in the jars, the yogurt might not “make” (become yogurt from milk). You can wash the jars ahead of time and keep them covered till you’re about to make the yogurt.
It’s best — and most convenient — to do this method before you go to bed at night or at any time when your oven won’t be in use for about 6 hours. First, turn on your oven to 350º. Heat the milk over low heat until it feels like a nice warm bath (like a bath you’d fix for a baby), not hot or near boiling. Completely mix in the yogurt with a whisk, then immediately pour the milk into the jars and screw on the lids. Place the jars in an ovenproof pan and wrap them all around with a thick towel (or towels).
Put the pan and jars in the oven and close the door. Turn off the heat and leave the door closed while you sleep. When you wake up in the morning, take the jars out of the oven, remove the lid, and tip the jar to see that the milk has solidified. Voila! Yogurt! Put the jars into the fridge to chill before eating, unless you’re going to cook with your new homemade yogurt.
Some tips for making perfect homemade yogurt:
• Save enough of your own yogurt to make the next batch — soon the “starter” you’re using will be completely your own.
• Use a combination of milks: if you want a richer milk than nonfat but don’t want the calories of whole milk, use 2 percent plus some whole milk as perhaps one quarter of the batch. Or if you want a creamier yogurt, add some half-and-half to 2 percent milk.
• Never let the milk become too hot, but if you don’t heat it enough the yogurt won’t “make.” If you really want to know your exact temperature, buy an instant-read thermometer for about $9 at any kitchen store.
• Don’t move the yogurt while it is “making” — it doesn’t like to be disturbed and jostling it will affect its ability to set.
Crème fraiche
Our next dairy delight to “de-mystify” is crème fraiche — that lovely lightly soured cream that appears on restaurant menus or as a very expensive one-cup offering at better delis and upscale food venues.
In France, crème fraiche is as common as our sour cream (it means “fresh cream”) but is made very differently. Whole cream is brought to about 110º (sound familiar?) and slightly soured. Then, as it cools, it is spun in a centrifuge to whip it and make it stable. Our sour cream is made very much like yogurt, using cream, half-and-half and milk and a culture that will make it thick. The difference between sour cream and crème fraiche — at least, that makes crème fraiche worth making at home — is that crème fraiche can be boiled and reduced over heat, and it won’t break into clumpy cream and water. Anyone who has inadvertently brought sour cream to a boil knows that sour cream very maddeningly does just that. Crème fraiche also may be whipped with sugar and vanilla, just like whipping cream, and it is even better tasting! Plus, homemade crème fraiche is so easy to make!
Here’s how. Use whole cream — variously called heavy cream, whipping cream or 40 percent cream — mixed with buttermilk, lemon juice or sour cream as the culturing elements, mix and leave in a warm place. For each two cups of cream, use about 4 tablespoons of buttermilk or sour cream, or two tablespoons of lemon juice. Each of these culturing elements will produce different flavors in the crème fraiche.
Wash a small metal, glass or ceramic bowl or container and dry well — use medium-sized if you’re going to make a quart. Put in the cream and the culturing element and mix well with a whisk — don’t whip, just mix. Place in a warm place above your furnace, between the pilot lights on your stove, in a turned off gas oven with a pilot light, in an oven heated to 325º and turned off —any place in your house that will remain warm for 4 to 6 hours. Don’t cover the container; crème fraiche likes to breathe. Come back every two hours or so and tip the container to see if the cream has set yet; if you’re using lemon juice it will “make” more quickly than if made with the milk-based cultures. As soon as it is about as thick as sour cream, cover it and put in the refrigerator.
When cold, put it in a smaller container and use freely. It’s fabulous just spooned over berries or fruit with a little sugar or honey.
Tips for making and using crème fraiche:
• Don’t move it too much while it’s “making.” It’s hardier than yogurt, but still doesn’t like to be touched too much.
• When whipping, be very vigilant and don’t whip too much; it will form soft peaks but will break into butter and whey more easily than regular whipping cream.
• If a light, soft “crust” forms while it is setting, don’t worry. Chill and then stir the thickened top into the rest of the crème fraiche.
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So try some easy homemade dairy treats, and have a wonderful Shavuot!
Emily Moore is a local chef with 30 years experience in her field, including 13 years in local and regional restaurants. Her business, Emily’s Kitchen, provides culinary services to all facets of the food industry and catering to the Jewish community. She also currently teaches culinary arts at Edmonds Community College.