Goats' Milk Yoghurt

Source of inspiration

Why make yoghurt? The yoghurt we can buy locally is so good. Bantry Country Market is where Valerie Kingston first started to sell her Glenilen yoghurt. I think we probably bought the first batch!

The yoghurt we can buy locally, however, is cows' yoghurt. Tasting some Aniar sheeps' yoghurt at a demo at the Galway Food Festival reminded me that sheeps' yoghurt has a particular sparkle. One taste and my mind is back on a boat on the Bosphorus river, buying Turkish yoghurt from the yoghurt hawkers. Sheeps' milk yoghurt is a magic food.

Sheeps' milk in Ireland is almost impossible to find. But there's plenty of reasons to make goats' milk yoghurt. Goats' milk is whiter than cows' milk – technically because all the beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A (thank you google!). It's a lighter milk which is easy to digest. Home-made yoghurt has a much more interesting texture than most commercial yoghurts. I think this is because, in their wisdom, yoghurt producers think we want a more homogeneous character. We don't.

Amazing food fact: Milk is considered a drink, but it really should count as a food – milk has over 12% total solids. Tomatoes and carrots, for example, can contain as little as 6% food solids.

To make yoghurt, first bring two litres of milk to a point just before it begins to boil. The reason for doing this is to zap all the organisms that might compete with the yoghurt bacteria. As you heat the milk, stir regularly with a slotted spoon, to stop the skin forming and distribute the heat evenly.

Next, let the milk cool. It needs to go back down to just above body temperature – about 42º. A thermometer is good, but a clean finger held for ten seconds in the milk, will also tell you that it is a few degrees warmer than blood heat. Keep up the stirring now and then, once again to stop a skin forming, and regulate the heat. Now to inoculate the milk with the yoghurt bacteria. Do this by simply stirring in two dessertspoons of natural yoghurt.

Cover the pan – a Le Creuset is best because it retains the heat – first with its lid, and then wrap in a towel.

Now leave the yoghurt in a warm place for about 8 hours, preferably overnight. My first batch of yoghurt didn't work, but I now realise I just didn't give it enough time. Also, don't be tempted to sneak a look. Opening up the yoghurt will release the heat and slow the process considerably.

After trying now, many times, I have found the best place, for me anyway, is wrapped in towels, in the hot press overnight.

Finally, pour into glass jars and chill the yogurt in the fridge.

If you want a thicker yoghurt, add two tablespoons milk powder to the milk as you first heat it. Otherwise, strain the yoghurt in muslin to remove some of the whey. This gives you a Greek-style thicker yoghurt, and is recommended for goats' milk, which is a thinner yoghurt anyway, and benefits from removing some of the whey.

The whey, incidentally, along with any failed yoghurt makes a soft bread that is ideal for sandwiches.

Serve the yoghurt sweet, with fruit and a sprinkling of honeycomb. Or use it in a savoury sauce, which could be as easy as adding a squeeze of lemon, some chopped garlic and some olive oil.

Gary O'Hanlon's Honeycomb Recipe

"100 ml water, 400g sugar, 100g honey, 2 table spoons liquid glucose. Bring all ingredients up to 160 degrees C on a sugar thermometer then remove immediately. Add 2 tea spoons of Bi-Carbonate of Soda and pour into a pre oil greased tin or tray. Leave to cool and chop up with a sharp serrated knife. Add broken pieces to ice cream, yoghurt or cheesecake mixtures and my favourite, coat two or three times with milk chocolate and make your own crunchies.!! Enjoy. I wanna see pictures Sally :)"
 – OK Gary :D

Tomato-flavoured yoghurt dressing

2 tomatoes
handful of fresh herbs (parsley, dill, coriander, or a combination)
1 cup yoghurt
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
seasoning

Skin and seed the tomatoes, and roughly chop. Place all the ingredients into a food processor and process to a fine dressing.







The Sheeps' Milk used by Enda McEvoy in Aniar comes from www.cratloehillscheese.com
Ballymaloe Cookery School have a half day course in yoghurt, butter and cheese, next Wednesday, 9th May