Monday 18 May 2020

You Can Never Be Too Rich Or Too Thin

So said Wallis Simpson, wife of Edward VIII. 
I don't think she was right [she was rich, and thin - but never really happy, I feel]
But what may apply to people does not apply to yogurt. 
I have a yogurt maker, and once a week or it produces a batch of home-made yogurt. And it is simple and reliable.
1 litre semi-skimmed UHT, 1 tablespoon of dried milk powder, and 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt [reserved from the previous batch] and it works overnight to produce 1 litre of thick, creamy plain yogurt. Not too rich, and not too thin.
Except this last week. Too late in the process, I realised that [a] my UHT milk was skimmed not semi skimmed, and [b] I couldn't up the fat content by adding more milk powder, because my jar was almost empty. 
So the yogurt was not at all rich, and very thin and runny. I used some for making fruit smoothies, and blended some with frozen berries to give it a bit more substance. It was somewhat disappointing and there was 500ml left.
I decided to rescue the situation by making 'mock pannacotta'. I softened 4 leaves of gelatin in water, while I put the yogurt [plus a spoonful of leftover creme fraiche] into a pan and warmed it gently. Then I stirred the squeezed gelatin into the yogurt, until it had all dissolved. I put fruity stuff** into the bottom of some glass pots, and poured the yogurt/gel on top, and  covered the pots, and left them to set in the fridge. Result - 10 interesting desserts!
** left to right, my fruity stuff was
1- mango coulis - I added sugar and pureed the fruit. 1 tsp coulis into the jar, yogurt gently spooned on top.
2 - cherry conserve, warmed till a little runny and spooned into the jar, with yogurt on top.
3 - cherry ripple, as #2, but Bob made me jump, and the yogurt went in too fast and spoiled the elegant 2 layer effect!
4 - yogurt into the pot, then mixed frozen berries stirred in.
5 - as #1 but ramekins not little pots. I may turn these out onto a saucer to serve.
Desserts fit for a King, perhaps?

9 comments:

  1. What a great idea for runny yoghurt. We make a batch each week too, but as we love Greek yogurt we use full fat milk and then strain it to produce the best, creamiest thick yogurt. With all the kids home, it doesn't last long.

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    1. Do you use the whey in your cooking? If I strain my yogurt, I keep the whey for scones, or stock for soups [often using it 50/50 with chicken stock].

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  2. What a clever way to rescue the too runny yogurt! Well done!

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  3. I still use the old-fashioned thermos flask, either from Delia Smith 'Frugal Food' or a different book 'The Crafty Chef'; wish I could remember his name,the book is buried downstairs. Michael someone.

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    1. Michael Barry [aka Bukht] was the Crafty Cook. He was on BBCs Food&Drink programme,1984-2001 and also was a co-founder of Classic FM. The thermos method is good too. I did that for years till I got this electric one.

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  4. I love that you are such a wordsmith. Wallis and yogurt 😍

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  5. Well done for saving the yogurt! You created some really interesting desserts- I presume you haven't eaten them yet or you might have rated them for us!
    I'm not a huge milky-dessert fan, nor milky dessert with fruit (except for Eton Mess or Pavlova) but I would be intrigued to see if I liked these at all!
    I love what you did with Mrs Simpson's words!
    I wonder what our country, well, monarchy, would be like if the King hadn't abdicated!

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    1. I am rather glad he did, tbh. I'm not sure he would have made a good King through the war years. And although Elizabeth would have become Queen on his death, that would have been in 1972 - not 1952. She has had a long reign, exemplifying duty, service and faithfulness. I'm not sure he was quite as committed...

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  6. Hi hun, Agree with you regarding our Queen - she is amazing! Love the idea with the thin yoghurt and unfortunately threw ours away. Will definately try your rescue remedy! *hugs* Goldensunflowerx

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