This recipe comes courtesy of Patrick Fahy, executive pastry chef of the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village.
Ingredients
- ½ gallon whole milk, preferably organic
- ½ cup store-bought yogurt with active cultures (most yogurt sold in stores will contain active live cultures)
Preparation
Heat milk in a heavy saucepan on low until it reaches 200°. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat it until it is almost at a boil.
Remove pot from heat and let milk cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. If a skin forms, don’t worry; you can scrape it off.
Cool milk to 115°. A little bit hotter or cooler is OK. While milk is still warm and close to 115°, add yogurt and whisk until it’s dissolved. If you don’t have a thermometer, you want milk to be warm to the touch—not hot.
Place pot in a warm area and cover with a lid or a towel. Let sit 8 hours or overnight.
I like to put the pot with lid in an oven with oven light on, but oven off. This is a warm environment in which yogurt mixture can do what it needs to do. The longer yogurt sits, the thicker it gets and more tart it becomes.
Once yogurt is to your liking, whisk it together very well, and transfer to desired airtight containers to store in the refrigerator.
About this recipe
Notes:
Season or sweeten the yogurt with vanilla extract, lemon zest, honey or sugar, if desired.
If you want a fruit bottom for your yogurt, mix a little bit of jam with some berries or fruit and place on the bottom of the container before pouring in your yogurt.
