yogurt cheese (not ewww, delicious!)

Yogurt cheese. It sounds kinda gross, but let me sing it's praises! Soft, tangy and spreadable, it can be made in the fridge overnight.  If you buy a large tub of plain, organic yogurt (Saugeen County Yogurt, for example), you can have a vast amount of yogurt cheese, for a fraction of the price of marscapone or cream cheese. You can add any number of flavours, via herbs, zests and spices. Yogurt cheese is also known as strained yogurt, and it's big in Europe. It's the main ingredient in tzaziki, the creamy cucumber and yogurt condiment from the Middle East.

Here's a recipe, plus two examples of yogurt cheese hard at work.

yogurt cheese
2 cups whole milk, plain yogurt (usually 3% to 6% milk fat, or M.F.)
cheesecloth or 2 large coffee filters
fine mesh strainer
deep pot

Line the strainer with the cheese cloth or coffee filters. Place over a pot (I use my rice cooker pot - it's nice and deep). There has the be space between the bottom of the strainer and the bottom of the pot, this is where the liquid will collect. Put the yogurt in the strainer, and set the whole thing in the fridge. Leave it for 12 to 24 hours. Discard the whey (the liquid in the bottom), or feed it to your cats (they'll love it!). Keep the yogurt cheese in the fridge for a few weeks (the same shelf life as the original yogurt).

lemon and herb yogurt cheese spread
1 cup yogurt cheese
handful of fresh herbs (I used a mix of chives, oregano, basil and mint)
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and stir. Spread on toast, crostini, or serve on top of sautéed or steamed veggies. (Seen here in a tomato sandwich, and on top of a spring greens stir-fry of green garlic, green onions, asparagus and snow peas.)

strawberry basil popsicles

Here's a recipe I made for The Stop's Market Cafe this morning. Strawberries and basil? Don't be skeptical, it's a great combination, just like watermelon & mint or apples & rosemary. Throw them in a blender, and into the freezer they go, with a little help from some brown sugar simple syrup. When you freeze things, the sweetness mellows out, which is why frozen desserts usually have a bit more sugar than you might think they need.

Gourmet popsicles are all the rage right now. Join the fad! Get yourself a popsicle mold set at a dollar store, and get creative! Use some of these recipes for ideas, or just pour in some fruit juice or leftover smoothie. Also, here's an awesome article about paletas, Mexican popsicles, from epicurious.

strawberry basil popsicles
2 pints of strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine the strawberries and basil in a blender, and puree. In a small pot, bring water and sugar to a boil, turn off the heat, and stir until the sugar has disolved. Let your simple syrup cool for a few minutes, then add to strawberry puree and blend well. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4 hours. To remove popsicles, run the mold under hot water for 30 seconds.

You can also use paper cups for popsicle molds - fill cups and freeze. Take them out of the freezer after an hour, and poke in some popsicle sticks. Return to freezer until completely frozen.

(Get up early tomorrow morning, and head to Wychwood Barns - look at what delights await you!)

Pizza Sauce

There's one hundred and one recipes that start with a plain old can of tomatoes. Here's a delicious one I saw on Jamie at Home yesterday.

Simple Pizza Sauce

Olive Oil

Handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

A few garlic cloves, sliced

One can of whole tomatoes

One can of tomato paste

salt, pepper

1 tsp sugar

Heat some olive oil in a large pan. Add garlic and basil, saute for a few seconds. Add the can of tomatoes, break them up with the back of a spoon. Simmer for 5 minutes. Over a bowl, strain the sauce through a mesh sieve - use a spoon to push as much liquid out of the tomatoes. Discard the solids. Return the strained sauce to the pan, add the tomato paste, salt, pepper and sugar, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Basil and Tomatoes

Spring pizza: here's a dough made from red fife flour, always an excellent shortcut for a fast dinner. This dough is from the farmer's market around the corner from my house, but you can find some premade at lots of bakeries (there's a place in Kenzington that sells pizza dough for $1.50!).

Ok, it's canned pizza sauce, but I was in a rush,

Sliced tomatoes, basil and minced garlic scapes,

Montforte feta and mozzarella...

And no final picture. We ate it too fast. A big pizza needs about 15 minutes at 375.