Posts tagged yogurt
Goodbye San Francisco – Crostata with blueberries and yogurt cream
Aug 15th
Arrivederci San Francisco – crostata ai mirtilli con crema allo yogurt
It’s time to take a little time off and go where the sun is always happy and shining, not the Caribbeans but Baja Mexico. California has been under a horrendous weather, it’s so cold that the heat is back in the house, I am back wearing winter clothes such as thick ski jacket and woolen sweaters. So for a little while, I might not be posting recipes but maybe Mexican beaches and sunset.
Now, I have to find my bikini since the last time I wore it was two years ago. Swim suits are not my favorite things to wear, I always feel the bikini is too small, if I move to fast, the strings will untie. Not being the typical French woman who goes topless on the beach, I get a little paranoid about my top or bottom failing on me. Last time I was in the South of France, no one seemed to worry about the swim suit strings! Vive le topless!
I wanted to celebrate this so needed vacation by making my mom signature sweet. She makes this pie at least once a week since the number of guests stopping by the house is ridiculous, so there is always something sweet to nibble on. Her recipe comes with a jam topping mixed with sliced almonds.
I added almond flour to the crust to give it a nutty after taste. Crostate are typical Italian “tarts”. In Italy, they call the crust: pasta frolla, whereas in France, it’s called pâte brisée but the process is similar.
This crust is not a pasta frolla, my mom always use baking powder in her crust and she melted the butter instead of incorporating it cold and by pieces. This pie tastes more like a cake, and is lighter than a traditional crostata with pasta frolla, since the quantity of butter is less. I flavored it with lemon zest to give a little kick. Overall, I was somehow faithful to her recipe but you don’t always have to be faithful in the kitchen!
Bye bye grey sky, cannot wait to leave you…
Ingredients for 6
For the crostata
- 4.9 oz (or 140 g) flour
- 2.82 oz (or 80 g) almond flour
- 2.46 oz (or 70 g) sugar + 1 tsp
- 2.46 oz (or 70 g) butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of 1 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup blueberries
For the yogurt cream
- 6 tbs plain Greek yogurt
- 6 tbs heavy cream, whipped
- zest of 1 lemon for decoration
Preparation
In a mixing container, mix flours together. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter, lemon zest and baking powder. Start mixing all ingredients together, adjusting with flour if the dough is too sticky. For a small homogeneous ball. Butter a non stick mold (about 20 cm diameter) and using your hands spread 2/3 of the dough regularly on the surface of the mold.
Place blueberries on top of the dough leaving one inch around the edges. Using your hands, push carefully blueberries in the dough. Using the leftover dough, start rolling it forming a little rope like you would when making gnocchi. That rope should be about 2/3 inch thick. Place rope across crostata forming a cross shape. Using same process, form another rope and place around the edges of the crostata.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 365-370F for about 30 minutes, until the crostata is slightly golden. Do not overcook or the crostata will be too hard. The crust has the texture of a cake and should not be too crunchy, it needs to remain soft and moist. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature.
For the yogurt cream
Whip heavy cream and mix carefully with yogurt. Top one slice of crostata with the cream-yogurt mixture and sprinkle with lemon zest.
The entire Provence in a jar – Lavender yogurt with peach-apricot compote
Jun 16th
Toute la Provence dans un pot – Yaourt à la lavande sur lit de pêche-abricot
Lavender simply evokes Provence. Wherever I go, if I see lavender, that makes me think about the South of France but particularly about Provence, its wonderful lavender fields and cicadas singing. I adore Provence, its picturesque medieval villages, its natural light, wonderful cuisine and friendliness of its inhabitants…but most of all, the delicious sensation of the Provencal sun caressing your skin with a light breeze, making it pure heaven. I think that’s one thing I really miss about Mediterranean climate, being able to dress lightly until midnight without wearing any sweater sipping a Pastis…that is true happiness.
Does anyone know where the last picture has been shot? It’s a famous city in the South of France…
So to celebrate Provence, I wanted to make something combining summer and Southern fruits like peaches, apricots and lavender flavor; and this delightful yogurt has all of it in one bite.
Homemade yogurt can be made in many different ways, in a pressure cooker, in the oven, and of course in a yogurt maker, like I do. Well, it’s the easiest way to make them and the only way I know not to fail them, so why take the complicated route when you can take the easy one? There is definitely nothing better than homemade yogurts, nothing to compare with store bought yogurts, they can be creamy, thicker, depending on the time you leave them to incubate, and the amount of powdered milk you use. I have been substituting powder milk with evaporated milk and it works quite well.
Ingredients for 8 yogurts
- 4 cups milk
- 1 plain yogurt or 1 bag of lactic ferments
- 6 tbs evaporated milk
- 2 tbs unsweetened condensed milk
- 3 yellow well ripe peaches, peeled and cut in pieces
- 2 apricots, cut in pieces
- 2 tbs sugar + 2 for the milk
- 2 tbs lavender
Preparation
In a pan combine peaches, apricots and sugar and cook to obtain a thick mixture. Remove from heat and let it cool.
Boil milk with lavender, then remove from heat and let it cool to less than 45C. Drain to remove lavender flowers.
In a mixing container, mix yogurt with condensed milk, evaporated milk and sugar. Add gradually milk.
Divide the fruit compote in each jar, then pour carefully milk mixture. Place yogurt in yogurt maker and let it incubate for about 8 hours. Remove from yogurt maker, place lids on and place in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.
So did you find out where this is?
Duo of mousses – Yogurt mousse with rhubarb and peaches
Mar 31st
Duo de mousses – Mousse de yaourt et mousse de pêches-rhubarbe
Rhubarb has been on the shelves lately and it has been a while I since used it, so this rhubarb post was overdue.
Rhubarb is often associated with strawberries, but it does make delicious desserts combined with peaches as well. Obviously the final color of the mousse is not as pink as with strawberries, it’s more of an orange pastel tone that looks quite summery.
I don’t know how rhubarb is used in the US, but in France we use it in tarts, and tarte à la rhubarbe is a famous dessert specialty. You have those who love it and those who hate it, so for a long time, I hated it, my childhood friend’s mom always gave us some rhubarb tart, and I could not stand the taste of that long stem which to me tasted like celery. Over the years, I developed a taste for it, and now I love it in compotes mixed with other summery fruits.
Technically rhubarb is a vegetable and is a cousin of sorrel so it can be prepared in savory dishes such as salmon and meat stews.
Rhubarb you can find in the US is different from the one grown in Europe but has a similar taste, it’s a lot redder, so basically the color changes but not the flavor.
I like to use fromage blanc (white cheese and I am not sure what it would be called in English) but it’s a fresh cheese often eaten with sugar or fruits, but also popular savory mixed with chives and other herbs. I love to use fromage blanc in those types of desserts, but it’s not easy to find in the US, so I substituted with Greek yogurt which has a similar texture and it worked fine.
*If you are using agar agar (the vegan jellying substance) it needs to be dissolved in liquid before using, then it needs to cook in the mixture for a few minutes. If using gelatin sheets, soften it in cold water then add the the hot mixture but does not need to boil like agar agar.
Ingredients for 6
For the rhubarb mousse
- 1 lb rhubarb, peeled, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 3 yellow ripe peaches, peeled and cut
- 4 tbs sugar or more to taste
- 1 tbs orange blossom water
- 4 g agar agar dissolved in liquid or 3 gelatin sheets
For the yogurt mousse
- 200 g greek yogurt or fromage blanc
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbs sugar
- crème fraîche whipped or whipped cream (optional)
Preparation
In a large pot, mix rhubarb, peaches and sugar and cook at low heat until the mixture turns soft and is cooked. Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher. Add orange blossom water. While the fruit mixture is still hot, add gelatin* see above for agar agar or gelatin use.
Let the mixture cool and place in the refrigerator until it hardens a little.
For the yogurt mousse, mix yolks and sugar and beat until the mixture whitens and doubles volume. Add yogurt of fromage blanc carefully. Beat whites and add to the yolks. Whip the cream and add to mixture carefully.
Place in individual cups and alternate one layer of rhubarb/peach mousse and yogurt mousse. Place in the refrigerator for one hour before serving.
Ready for a chill? – Chilled avocado and cucumber soup
Mar 26th
Prêts pour l’été? – Soupe d’avocat et concombre froide pimentée
Il y a du citron mais pas de vanille! Doesn’t this feel like summer? I am so ready for it…well a real summer somewhere…where it’s warm and sunny, where you can wear tank tops without a sweater on top, and where the fog doesn’t make your hair curl (it was my teenage nightmare, now I cut it, so no more curls). Oh well, I’m sure I can find this place, I just have to drive 20 miles North or South from the city. In the meantime, I got myself in the summer mood with a chilled soup. I made this a while ago and since I had a lot of ripe avocados left, I thought it would be a good remake.
When I think of avocado, I think about skin care products, avocado’s flesh is incredibly smooth that I just want to spread it on my face, extremely delicate and subtle. Cucumber is also a wonderful ingredient for skin care as a matter of fact, so eating this soup makes me feel like I am just getting double benefits, nutritious and beautiful skin, even though I doubt that I will wake up tomorrow with a smooth and peachy skin like you see on magazines! Anyway, on peut toujours rêver, you can always dream about it.
I bought so many of those mini glasses for mise en bouche while I was in France, and they did not even break in the suitcase, so now I have to use them, and this chilled soup is perfect for these mini presentations. Actually I like to use mini glasses for avocado soup, avocado being quite high in calories, it’s better to serve it in small portions than regular plates.
What’s more perfect for informal dinners where you want to serve small bites and cute apéritifs to nibble on without feeling stuffed?
I don’t know about you, but my favorite dishes to prepare are appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. It’s where I have the most fun, probably because they are related to entertainment and that’s really one of my favorite activity (if that can be called one).
This soup needs to be consumed chilled, so you can prepare it in advance and leave it in the refrigerator until serving. It’s quick, tasty and delicious, so a “keeper” in my food world.
Ingredients for 15-20 mini glasses
- 1.5 avocado
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and seeds removed
- juice of 1 Meyer lemon
- 3 tbs Greek yogurt or regular yogurt
- 2 scallions, chopped
- cayenne pepper
- 1 cup or more vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Remove the flesh of the avocado, mix with cucumber and add lemon juice. Mix all ingredients well. Add all other ingredients and, using a hand blend, mix to obtain a smooth consistency.
For the broth, I added it gradually until I got the consistency I wanted. Avocado being creamy, you might need to add more broth.
Refrigerate for a few hours, and serve chilled.
White smoothness in a jar – Fig-Vanilla and Apple-Kiwi yogurts
Jan 28th
Douceurs blanches dans un pot – Yaourts Figues-Vanille et Pomme-Kiwi
I have been back to the US since last Friday and one thing that I already start missing is the yogurt. If you haven’t tried homemade yogurts, you haven’t tasted the goodness of what a real yogurt can be. I have always been nostalgic about the wonderful yogurts you can find in France in the yogurt/dairy section in any supermarket area. There are about four full aisles of yogurts and dairy specialties of dairy and non dairy fresh desserts. I am in heaven. Yogurts in the US tend to be on the boring side and quite frankly not very good. I tasted all of the brands, and I always remain faithful to Strauss, their European called yogurt. It seems like all yogurts contain gelatin and taste artificial especially the flavored ones, so I stick to the plain kind.
Yogurt making is like bread making in France right now, two nationwide spread trends. So after going to FNAC, a bookstore/electronics store, and spending hours on the cook book section, I run into an intriguing book on making yogurts, and I decided to buy it.
After landing in the U S of A and going through customs with half a supermarket in my suitcase, I realized that I had no yogurt maker. Yogurts can be made in many other ways if you don’t have a yogurt maker, like using a pressure cooker, an oven, etc…but I just wanted a yogurt maker and not go through a few times of failing the yogurts, like it happened before. So on day 2, I went to buy a yogurt maker and if you are a yogurt “freak” like me, it’s a good investment. In a next post, I will explain how to make yogurts without a yogurt maker, in case you don’t have one since I suspect many people don’t have one. It’s a little more tricky but it does work.
I used approximately the recommended proportions I found on the book called “Yaourts” from Solar Editions, then I somehow flavored them according to my tastes. You can use any fruit you like.
The great thing about making yogurt is that you can play around with different milks, spices and fruits. For this first attempt, I used fat free milk, but next time I will use the 2% fat and see the difference. The only inconvenient is that it takes about 10 hours to have your yogurts ready, but then you get seven of them. You can use either a plain yogurt or yogurt ferments for your mixture.
Ingredients for 7 yogurts
- 2 kiwis, peeled and cut in small cubes
- 1/2 granny smith apple, peeled and cut in small cubes
- 4.4 oz (or 125 g) black figs, peeled and well ripe
- vanilla powder
- 2 tbs sugar
- 3.38 cups milk (or 800 ml) whole, skim or half-skimmed
- 6 tps evaporated milk (canned or in powder)
- 1 regular plain yogurt
Preparation
If you are using fruits at the bottom, I suggest to start preparing them beforehand. Peel figs and cut in small cubes, add sugar and let it cook until it becomes into a smooth consistency. Add vanilla and let it cool. Proceed the same way with the apples and kiwis (without the use of vanilla).
Remove milk from the refrigerator and keep it room temperature for a while. In a mixing container, mix milk and yogurt. Add evaporated milk. Mix well.
Place 2 tbs of fruit sauce in each jar, add milk mixture and place in yogurt maker as per instructions. Do not close jars with lids. I kept those for 9 hours in the machine since I used non-fat milk. If you are using regular milk, or half-skimmed milk, you need to leave the yogurts about 7-8 hours. When the machine has stopped, put lids on and place in the refirgerator for 3 hours.
Automn Leaves – Sunburst squash and leek soup with oregano and yogurt, warm roquefort tartine
Sep 16th
Les feuilles mortes – velouté de potimarron et poireaux à l’origan et yaourt, tartine chaude de roquefort
I was listening to Yves Montand’s classic song “les Feuilles Mortes” translated by “Autumn Leaves” but it literally means “Dead Leaves” and it never fails, I get tears in my eyes…that song makes me shiver. And yes, automne (fall) is coming…and I felt this soup really is a nice representation of fall, with its yellow and green colors.
Originally I bought this squash to stuff with a goat cheese mousse…it did not make it. I tried to resist for days to not cut it. It was too beautiful to cut and would have been such a great dish if I could have stuck to my plans…but no, I wanted a soup, and the only thing that was left to turn into a soup was this baby. So here. Morale of the story, don’t be too rigid, sometimes you can change plans.
I never get tired of soups, they can be blended, in chunks, cold, whatever, I love them…besides when they’re as healthy as this one, I love them even better, because I do watch roughly my calories intake and my weight. They say French women don’t get fat, well the bad news is, they do get fat, if they eat a lot…They do not have a particular nor wonderful metabolism (and the truth is that I am not even French, I just pretend, because I am just a confused woman).
So my question is why not eat delicious gourmet dishes that are most of all a bundle of health and nutrition (hope my English makes sense). The pancetta is optional, I love its crunchiness on top of the soup though.
The yogurt touch at the end is somehow a substitute to crème fraîche. In France we usually add 1 tbs crème fraîche in any velouté to make it even more velvety (velouté). Yogurt works perfectly fine here, let’s make it light, fat does not necessarily mean flavor anyway. Now do I sound like those “freaks” who watch every little bite they eat and do not enjoy anything always counting calories and talking about non-fat? Please say no, because I am really not, if you know me.
The roquefort tartine is a nice addition to the soup, they really make a pleasant combination of flavors, but you need good walnut bread to truly enjoy the roquefort. Obviously you don’t need to have a tartine to enjoy the soup, but the combination is something to absolutely try. Melting roquefort on walnut bread is a real treat.
I got a little frustrated with my camera today, obviously I am no photographer, I could not shoot anything despite the great light I had coming from the bay window, everything turned out awful, just two shots out of 30 came out just ok and not even great. Too bad you cannot see the white dash of yogurt in the middle of the bowl because of the angle. I have no idea why some days where light is great I get terrible shots and days where it’s all grey, I get decent bright pictures. Is there a little demon in my Canon? Could be. Maybe taking one class or two where I bought this camera would not hurt.
Ingredients for 4
For the soup
- 1 leek
- 6 large sunburst squash
- 1 onion
- 3 tbs fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 tbs olive oil
- vegetable broth
- 4 tbs plain yogurt
- 4 slices of pancetta (optional)
- salt and pepper
For the roquefort tartine
- 4 tbs Roquefort cheese (or any blue cheese)
- 4 slices walnut bread
- pepper
Preparation
Wash leek and cut it in medium size chunks. Wahs squash and cut in quarters. In a large pot, heat olive oil, add onion and let it cook until it becomes transparent. Add 1 1/2 tbs oregano, cook for a few minutes, then add squash and leeks. Cook for another 10 minutes at medium heat, stirring. Add broth. I never measure broth. I add enough so that it covers the quantity of vegetables and that is the perfect quantity for a veloute. Add salt. COver with a lid and cook at medium heat until the vegetables are soft and cooked, about 30 minutes.
Blend using a hand blender or mixer.
In a small bowl, add yogurt and the remaining chopped oregano
In a non-stick pan, cook pancetta until it gets crunchy.
Cut roquefort in slices and place on top of bread. Broil until the cheese has melted.
Serve soup in bowls, adding a tbs of yogurt/oregano mixture in the middle of the bowl and top with a slice of pancetta. Serve with roquefort tartine on the side.
The drunken melon – Tuscan melon soup with yogurt and white port
Aug 13th
On a saoulé le melon! – Soupe de melon au yaourt et porto blanc
I got inspired by my mom’s traditional appetizer she loves to serve in summer which are called melon au porto, a quite delicious way to serve melon. In France we have those small round melons called melons Charentais, which are grown in the Charente region. They are so sweet, and so delicately flavored, their pulp has a deep orange color that makes your mouth water. They tend to be expensive, but such a treat. For melon au porto, you need to cut the top, like a little cap, remove the seeds from the inside and fill the melon with red port. Everyone at the table has it’s own melon to eat and anytime you take a spoonful of melon, you take some port with it, and it’s absolutely delicious. you just need the best melons.
I had bought a Tuscan melon (or what they call it in the US), not sure they come from Tuscany, but it’s the melons I use to eat in Italy at my uncle’s house. He grows a huge field of those melons and we used to eat them all summer long. I think what they call Tuscan melon is similar to cantaloupe, but I would go with the Tuscan melon if possible, since I had bad experiences with cantaloupe, sometimes they don’t have too much flavor.
I like this as an appetizer or a cold soup you serve before a meal, so I did not add any sugar, we just keep the natural sweetness of the melon and nothing else. I love the idea of a fresh summer and fruity soup, they’re light, nutritious and so healthy. This soup needs to be very chilled, you can leave it for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. Also, I added a little bit of ginger, but that’s optional, it’s up to you. Usually, I never add ginger to any of my fruit dishes, I think ginger is overpowering and kills the natural flavor of the fruit.
Ingredients for 2-3
- 1.12 lb (or 800 gr, or 1/2 melon) Tuscan melon
- 4 tbs plain yogurt
- 4 tbs white port
- 1/3 tsp ginger, grated (optional)
Preparation
Cut melon in pieces, leave some slices for decoration. Place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, 2 hours minimum. Blend with a food processor and make it a purée. Add port, yogurt and ginger, mix well. Leave in the refrigerator for another hour or so. Serve very chilled in bowl. Add slice on top and mint leaves for decoration.
A little snow and sun in a glass – Yogurt mousse with mango vanilla compote
Jun 4th
Un peu de neige et de soleil dans un verre – Mousse de yaourt à la compote de mangue et vanille
Did it ever happen to you to really want a dessert but just something light, refreshing and fruity? no chocolate, no cake, no cream, just a light dessert? Well today that’s what I really wanted. I had two beautiful mangos that I would have preferred to eat fresh, sliced and not cook it, but I needed a nice fleshy and sweet fruit for my mousse, so I killed those two mangos with a lot of regrets. They were so sweet that I did not add any sugar.
I love fruit based dessert and this one is a winner. If you are trying to watch your weight, but still have a little craving for something sweet, this is perfect for you. It has very low calories, I used the non fat Greek yogurt “Page”, you could use the 2% fat also.
Ingredients for 4 verrines (glass cups)
- 1/2 lb Greek-style yogurt (non fat or regular)
- 2 tbs powder sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tbs almond milk
- 2 gelatin sheet
- 2 ripe mangos
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 vanilla bean
Preparation
Mix yogurt with sugar, beat well. Heat almond milk and soak gelatin sheet in it and add to the yogurt. Mix well. Beat egg whites and add to the yogurt mixture. Place in the refrigerator
Peel the mango and cook at low heat. Cut vanilla bean and scrape beans, add to the mango, add lemon juice. Cook until the mango are cooked and make a jam-like mixture. Let it cool, then add on top of the yogurt mousse. Place in refrigerator overnight or at least for 6 hours to enable the mousse to thicken.
