Thursday, April 26, 2007

The Trials of a Skinny Fridge

Perhaps you all remember my quandary over the fridge that wouldn't grow? My svelte refrigerator took some getting used to, and Brian was on the unhappy end of hearing my continual complaints, and the happy end of eating my latest, leftover inventions. So let me tell you what recently happened in my little kitchen. It goes something like this:

Brian answers his ringing cell phone only to hear the voice of his charming wife, "Can you pick up a container of plain yoghurt on your way home?" I ask.
"Sure, how much do you need?"
"Oh, about a cup, of plain-- not vanilla."
"Got it, I'll see you later."
Then I hung up the phone, and awaited my husband's return. A few hours later, Brian came trudging home, carrying the hugest tub of yoghurt money can buy.
"What is that!?!" I exclaimed.
"It's the yoghurt you asked for."
"Okay, but I asked for like a cup. That's enough to swathe my entire body in a calming yoghurt salve."
"Well," Brian shrugged, "you'll definitely get a cup out of this container. No problem."

So now I had a giant vat of yoghurt occupying precious space in my fridge as well. And I don't really eat yoghurt on a good day...I'm a Jew. So, I've made quite a few raitas; cooling salads of cucumber and dill, adorned with a yoghurt dressing; and more than a couple light yoghurt cakes. I made another dessert too, and it could be seen as the queen of leftovers, because it utilizes both the yoghurt, and the lime curd that I made last week-- Lime (or Lemon) Amaretti Cream Pots.

While browsing through my cookbooks, looking for ideas about yet another wonderful food item that contains yoghurt, that lactose-laden substance, I stumbled upon this recipe from Nigel Slater's, The Kitchen Diaries. A simple, no-bake pudding, that is creamy yet sprightly, with just a bit of tang, this pudding not only uses yoghurt, but uses it well. With crumbled amaretti cookies within, which become a thickener as the pudding rests and chills, the pudding tastes of curd tinged with almond flavor.

My cookbook is from the U.K., and uses double cream, a thicker, more luscious version of American whipped cream. Luckily I was able to find it in NY no problem, but for those of you without a stellar market, I'm sure heavy whipped cream would do in a pinch. Although the recipe does have actual measurements, I simply eyeballed them. To me, the point of this type of dessert is freedom-- a little of this, a pinch of that, substitutions galore. But if you would like the recipe, it is on the Daily Specials page. Now, I only have a bit more plain yogurt left, any more ideas for for what should be done with it?

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Our local grocery had a special sale recently: 4 pounds of absolutely delicious strawberries for $4 recently, so we've gone through almost 8 # in the last 1 1/2 weeks. For vartiety, my teenager and I have been making lots of smoothies with them. I usually use vanilla yogurt, but have also used the plain, sometimes adding a little Splenda or honey if needed.

But my favorite thing to make with plain yogurt is Tandoori Chicken.

~ Peggasus

1:11 PM  
Blogger Homesick Texan said...

How about making cheese with it? All you need is cheesecloth and some herbs if you want added flavor.

4:24 PM  
Blogger Linda said...

these look so phenomenal. i agree with homesick. it wouldn't be too hard and it would be sooo tasty!

5:30 PM  
Anonymous Mary said...

Hi,
I wrote about leftovers and included your ode to a skinny fridge post. You might want to check it out. I'm going to go make some lime curd now so that I can make this awesome looking confection. What to do with the leftover egg whites?

For the rest of the leftover yogurt, you could make a marinade for chicken or lamb or maybe some tzatziki or a yogurt cake. If you have enough yogurt, you could make all three and call it dinner.

Mary
www.ceresandbacchus.com

12:57 PM  
Anonymous Luisa said...

oh, YUM. I thought I had that book memorized, but I must have skipped this recipe. Looks like deconstructed key lime pie.

10:20 AM  
Blogger Sunday Cook said...

I second Homesick Texan's vote - make cheese. Drain the yogurt until very thick, stir in chopped herbs, ground pepper, spices, etc. Use as a spread for crackers.

You could also take it one step further - drain it, then, keeping the "cheese" wrapped in cheesecloth, press it between two plates. When very firm, break off pieces, roll them into balls, roll them through some minced herbs, then throw them into a jar of olive oil. The cheese balls will hold in the fridge for a few weeks - very nice with salads. It's like a yogurt bocconcini. :-)

5:50 AM  
Anonymous Doug said...

lol, People of Jewish faith don't eat yogurt? My gf is (Jewish) and she adores the stuff - especially greek yogurt for breakfast.

Enjoy. (I could go for some right now)

10:40 PM  

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