Making Yoghurt & Yummy Creams

Homemade Yoghurt!
The only thing to making yoghurt is sterilize your equipment and temperature, temperature, temperature...and a couple of other tips!

I bought some organic whole milk, only to discover that after I got it home, it was "Ultra Pasteurized" which won't work for yoghurt since they have not only killed all the bad bacteria - the good bacteria is dead as well. Rats! So I had to use 1% milk since that was the only thing on hand. Oh, well. The end product is just a little thinner, with a mild yoghurt taste. Frankly, I like it better than say, for example, the Greek yoghurt which is too sour and sharp for my taste buds. If you use whole milk, it would be thicker. Most of the commercial yoghurt has a thickener in it such as carageenan or gelatin to give it a "fake" creamy texture. Well, here goes!

I don't have a yoghurt maker and after reading about putting the container in styrofoam coolers or wrapping it in towels or putting it in a warm oven overnight, I decided on a much simpler method - a 3 1/2 cup stainless steel thermos bottle that I have had for years. So I scrubbed it out with a bottle brush to make sure there was no coffee residue inside and poured boiling water in it twice to sterilize it, as well as the lid and the cap. Then I dumped the water out and let it cool down to about 100 degrees inside temperature. (My husband has one of those "point and shoot" thermometers, so it was fairly easy to measure the temperature.) Or you can just wait until the water in the bottle cools down to 100 degrees, using a candy thermometer to measure the inside water temp.

Heat 3 1/2 cups of milk to 172 degrees, using a candy thermometer (don't let it go over 180 degrees or it won't work).
Remove the milk from the stove and let it cool down to 106 degrees.
Add a rounded tablespoon of plain Greek yoghurt (that I bought in a little container). This is the "starter."
Mix together and pour into the thermos.
Put the lid and the cap on the thermos.
Let it set overnight on the counter and DON'T MOVE IT.
Voila! A delicious yoghurt.
Transfer to a clean container and keep in the refrig.

This is particularly good served with a dollop of honey.

Sour Cream
Homemade sour cream is so yummy and easy to make, I will never buy commercial sour cream again - and it's much cheaper!
Sterilize a glass pint jar and lid in boiling water to kill off any unwanted bacteria.
1 Cup organic (not Ultra pasteurized) cream (or half-and-half, if you want to cut the fat).
2 Tbsp. commercial sour cream such as Laughing Cow or one that doesn't have a bazillion other "things" in it. This is the "starter."
Mix together and pour into the jar.
Cover and let set on the counter for 24-48 hours, depending on how sour you want it.
After it thickens, refrigerate.

You are supposed to be able to save a couple of tablespoons of this sour cream to use as "starter" for the next batch.
Kristen's comments: I tried using it for "starter" and it wouldn't thicken. You either have to use twice as much "starter" or just use the commercial sour cream as the "starter." If you put the commercial sour cream in an ice cube tray, freeze it, and then transfer the cubes to a zip lock, you will have plenty of "starter" cubes to make a lot of sour cream. Thaw the cubes out to room temperature before using.

Creme Fraiche
So very French! Prounounced "krem fresh" and absolutely wonderful! It is a thick and smooth heavy cream with a rich and velvety texture. Creme fraiche is widely used in France, where the cream is unpasteurized and contains the "friendly" bacteria necessary to thicken it naturally. Since creme fraiche doesn't curdle when boiled, it's the ideal thickener for many sauces and soups and vegetables (particularly potatoes). It's equally delicious on fresh fruit, cakes, cobblers, and puddings.

1 Cup heavy or whipping cream, room temperature (not Ultra pasteurized)
1 Tbsp. buttermilk or 1/2 C. sour cream, room temperature
Place the above in a sterilized glass jar with a tight lid and shake 15 seconds
Set aside on the counter at room temperature for 24 hours or until very thick. Stir once or twice during that time.
Note: the cream will thicken sooner if the room is warm.
Stir well and refrigerate for 6 hours before using.
Variations:
Whipped creme fraiche: beat until soft peaks form (it won't become stiff).
Sweetened creme fraiche: Add 1 to 2 taablespoons powdered sugar before shaking the cream.
Vanilla creme fraiche: Stir 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract into the creme just before refrigerating.
You can also freeze the leftover buttermilk "starter" in an icecube tray for future batches of creme fraiche.

Kristen's Comments:
O.k. I'm a person who just guesses at measurements and I wasn't very careful about measuring the buttermilk. I couldn't get the cream to thicken, so after 12 hours, I added about 1/2 cup more buttermilk and then let it set until it thickened up a little more. I added about a tablespoon of sugar and some vanilla. I noticed there were bubbles coming up and then it turned into a vanilla marshmallow creme. Kind of an odd consistency, but absolutely divine. I, um, ate the whole batch.

My comments to Kristen's comments: I had to let it set the whole 24 hours before it thickened. Probably because the kitchen was cold and it was 28 degrees outside (yes, I know it's May, but, remember, I live in Minnesota).

Well, after Kristen and I tested out numerous batches of yoghurt, sour cream, and creme fraiche, we've decided never to go back to "store bought." At least we know what's in the organic product - just the good stuff!