Les Bonnes Choses

In response to the avalanche of interest I have received regarding my drained yogurt experiment, I feel I must follow up. I have also abandoned my dissertation and have begun work on my first book, which will be part travelogue and part cookbook, called The Princess Dairies - I plan on touring and developing yogurt recipes inspired by famous European castles.

How did the drained yogurt fare as a spread? I sacrificed about a tablespoon of the yogurt from my 'tzatziki stock', mashed in some coarsely chopped strawberries and some sugar, and spread it on a piece of toast. It had a bit of a tangy zing, owing to the fact that yogurt is a bit more acidic than cream cheese, but I didn't mind. I thought it tasted pretty good and would try it again. But first, I have to make the tzatziki. This is the recipe I will be using, which I cribbed from elsewhere on the internet:

* 3 cups regular plain yogurt, drained as described in my previous entry
* juice of one lemon
* 1 garlic clove, chopped
* 2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
* 1 tbsp kosher salt for salting cucumbers
* 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
* Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Dice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 tbsp salt and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend.