Strudel, Noodles and Dumplings: The New Taste of German Cooking. Anja Dunk

      THE SIMPLEST YOGURT

THE SIMPLEST YOGURT

      The beauty of yogurt is that each new batch is made with the last spoonful from the old pot. I love the cycle of renewal it goes through – the idea that you are keeping something going means you get to know it and understand its ways, and the ingredient becomes like an old friend in the kitchen, always there, steady and reliable.

      Yogurt is so cheap and easy to buy that you could argue: why bother making your own? Well, it’s so easy to make (easier than going to the shops for many of us who don’t have them on the doorstep) and it means you can choose to make it exactly how you like it: more creamy perhaps, runny, thick or very set – most shop-bought yogurt contains added emulsifiers, which change the texture of the yogurt, making it more creamy in consistency overall. Really it’s a matter of personal preference, but I find yogurt with added emulsifiers lacking in character.

      You don’t need any special equipment to make yogurt, but a yogurt-maker is cheap to buy and I strongly advise getting one if it is something you plan to do regularly. Failing that, an airing cupboard is the perfect spot for yogurt. Yogurt also sets well in jars, wrapped in a tea towel and perched on top of the radiator or on a tray near the boiler, and if you are lucky enough to have an Aga, you can just rest the tea-towel-insulated jars at the back overnight and in the morning your yogurt will be ready. If you live in a warmer climate, you can simply set the yogurt outside in a shady spot – while living in New England I did this during the summer months, and it worked a treat.

      MAKES ABOUT 750ML

      You will need 6 small, lidded jars

      750ml whole milk (raw or pasteurised)

      2 heaped tablespoons live bio-yogurt

      Heat the milk in a large saucepan until small bubbles start to form on the surface. This takes about 5 minutes at most, so don’t walk away from the pan – a watchful eye is important, as it can boil over very easily. Once the bubbles start to rise up the sides of the pan, turn the heat off and set the pan aside to cool to a lukewarm temperature. Whisk in the yogurt until there are no lumps. Pour the milk into small, sterilised jars (I use Weck jars, but any old jam jars will do as long as they have lids), then seal the jars and let them sit undisturbed in a warm place, such as a yogurt-maker or any of the spots suggested above, for 8–10 hours, until the yogurt is set.

      Refrigerate until needed.

      Note: If you like your yogurt more creamy, switch 200ml of the whole milk for single cream.

      BUTTERMILK AND QUARK

      Buttermilk is the liquid left over after beating cream to make butter. It is slightly sour in flavour and is most refreshing to drink in a way that pure milk, which has a natural sweetness to it, isn’t. I am incredibly fond of buttermilk and especially like to drink it with a small pinch of salt.

      The buttermilk we buy in cartons, however, is not a by-product of butter-making; it is what’s called cultured buttermilk – essentially, milk fermented through the addition of cultures, which makes it slightly thicker in consistency than original buttermilk – and this is what I use most regularly in the kitchen, as I am sure is the case for most of us.

      Just like milk, cream or yogurt, buttermilk is an ingredient that lends itself well to both sweet and savoury dishes. It has a clean flavour with a tang of citrus, and I find myself using it more and more these days. When baked into quick breads and cakes it not only serves to moisten the crumb but also adds lightness. As well as baking with it we add it to soups – indeed even use it as the soup – marinate meat in it, whisk it into pancake and waffle batters, shake it into dressings, churn it into ice creams and turn it into wobbly desserts.

      The most important thing we make with it, though, is quark – a fresh, spreadable cheese – which in turn also gets used in many delicious ways.

      Quark, one of the most hard-working ingredients in the German kitchen, is basically a soft cheese that is made out of cultured milk (buttermilk), where the curds (solids) have separated from the whey (liquid). It is very easy to make at home (the only downside being that it needs to hang for a day), but is so cheap and widely available that rarely does anyone bother these days. I adore the stuff: creamy in colour, dense in texture and tangy in flavour, it’s an ingredient so versatile that I couldn’t do without it. Quark is not only delicious but healthy too, as it is high in protein and low in fat, one of those magic foods that leaves you feeling fuller for longer – it works well in place of Greek yogurt. We bake with it, embellish it with herbs, whisk it into batters, whip it into desserts or simply enjoy it spread on bread – it certainly gives cream cheese a run for its money.