Labneh with Olive Oil and Sumac

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Plain, whole fat yogurt drained of its whey for 24 hours.

Pooled in a really, really good olive oil.

Sumac sprinkled on top.

You must make this.

Now.

Nisrine of Dinners and Dreams has the process and the beautiful photos.

Go.

Copyright 2005-2012, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Coconut Cranberry Frozen Yogurt

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[12-31-10: See Cook's Notes below for another, more coconutty, version made on a whim over Christmas.]

My intention was to get this on the table (read blog) in plenty of time for Christmas.

I don't consider this to be plenty of time, but that's my rather disorganized life at the moment (year actually).

Just now I was about to say that maybe 2011 will find me a more organized cook and blogger, but who am I kidding?  I've always been this way and will offer no more excuses. Hmmm ...  I feel a New Year's resolution coming on:  No more excuses; Iyam who Iyam.

I do love to make frozen concoctions and this one is as easy as pie (why do they say that? Pie is not necessarily easy). Let's just say that this can be made up in no time at all and doesn't require much organization.

Except, you do have to remember to drain the yogurt before hand.

Make this full-fat, low-fat or non-, according to your own dictates.  If you prefer to leave out the cream, substitute a little more milk.  And because the recipe is not made with an ice cream custard base, you can use whatever sweetener you prefer and the texture will not be affected.  I prefer my ice creams and frozen yogurts to be less sweet than the commercial standard, but feel free to kick up the sugar if that floats your boat.

Coconut Cranberry Frozen Yogurt
Christine's orignial recipe
print recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt, preferrably orgainc, drained
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1/4 cup cream
1/3 cup sugar or 1/4 cup (scant) Splenda Sugar Blend, or 7-8 packets Splenda
2/3 cup unsweetened, finely shredded coconut, preferrably organic
1/2 tsp coconut flavoring (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preparation:
Drain the yogurt by placing it in a damp cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl, set in the fridge for about 3 hours.  Use the drained liquid in another recipe or discard.  Use the drained yogurt in this recipe.
Combine the yogurt, milk, cream, sugar and extract and stir well.  Taste and adjust at will.
Stir in the shredded coconut.
Process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.  When the yogurt mixture is semi-frozen, add the cranberries into the machine while it is running to mix them into the yogurt.
When the yogurt has finished processing, it can be soft-served directly from the mixer or spooned into an aritight container and frozen for about 1 hour before serving.

Scoop this into your prettiest holiday dishes and enjoy.

Cook's Notes:
This is best served the same day.  If kept frozen, you will have to let it thaw for at least a half hour in order for it to be scoopable.

Editor's note on 12-31-10
Josh, Kelly and Jackson visited over the holidays and one night I made a different version of the recipe above using only coconut milk.  We liked it very much so here it is:
Using the measurements above, drain the yogurt for 24 hours so it's very thick.
To the yogurt add one can of whole or lite coconut milk, the sugar, shredded coconut and flavoring. Stir or whisk well to blend.
Process as above, adding the cranberries last.
Serve soft immediately after processing or pack in an air-tight container and freeze for up to 2 hours before serving.

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Figs Poached in Port and Thyme Over Creamy Yogurt Cheese Plus a Fig Giveaway

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(Update: August 30th 8:19 PM - With help from random.org, a winner of the fig giveaway has been picked!

Drumroll . . . . . . . . .    Congratulations Lindsey!  And a big thank you to all of you for joining in the fun.)

Mr CC and I are eating figs these days. Fresh, juicy, oozing-figgy-syrup California figs. They are impossibly delicious.

Mostly we eat them out of hand; unadorned, as you see above.  Did you know that figs are filled with antioxidants, are free of fat, cholestrol and sodium and are an excellent source of fiber?  Yes they are.  Eat them with the skins on for optimum health benefits.

The figs you see here were sent to me by the California Fig Advisory Board, who want to give away a box of fresh California figs to a randomly selected person who leaves a comment on this post.  The lucky winner will receive beautiful fresh figs delivered direct to her/his door!

 The deadline for this giveaway is Monday, August 30th at 5:00 PM, so please leave your comment soon. And please be sure to leave a way for me to get in touch with you in case you are a winner. 

I don't have a lot of time to cook these days, so I came up with this very quick and easy fresh fig dessert.

The poached figs came together in about 45 minutes from cutting to chilling.  Allow more time for the yogurt cheese as it has to drain most of its liquid to be firm enough to stand up to the weight of the figs.  I started preparation for this dessert in the afternoon and it was ready to serve by 7 PM.

The photo for this recipe does not do the dessert justice, but I promise you the result is delicious.  Give it a try and see if you don't agree.

Figs Poached in Port and Thyme over Creamy Yogurt Cheese

Christine's original recipe

(print recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups Greek-style yogurt (I used Strauss Family Creamery Plain Whole Milk Yogurt)

2 pounds fresh figs - I used 1 pound Black Mission and 1 pound green Kadota figs (about 28 figs total), cut into quarters

1/4 cup aged tawny port (I used Taylor Fladgate 20 year-old)

1/4 cup vanilla sugar (more or less depending on the sweetness of the figs)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

pinch salt

Preparation:

To make the yogurt cheese, dampen a piece of cheesecloth large enough to hang over the sides of a large strainer.

Line the strainer with the cheesecloth and set it over a large measuring cup or bowl.

Spoon the yogurt into the cheesecloth and place the whole thing into the fridge for several hours.
When the liquid has drained from the yogurt, you should have about half the amount of yogurt you started with. Keep cold until ready to use.
To prepare the figs, place the quartered figs, sugar, thyme, Port and salt in a medium saucepan, stir and heat until just bubbling.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook over a heat diffusor for about 15 minutes or until the fruit is cooked through and a nicely thick syrup has formed.
Adjust the sugar to taste, remove from the heat, allow to cool for a few minutes then transfer to a large glass measuring cup and place in the fridge to cool until thoroughly chilled.
To serve, place a spoonful or two of yogurt cheese into a glass dish and top with the poached figs.

More figgy recipes coming soon!

Cook's Notes:
Vanilla sugar may be made by placing a split vanilla bean in a jar of baker's sugar (superfine), closing the lid, giving it a shake, and storing it until you need it. I leave the bean in the sugar until all the sugar is all used up; for me, that can be a year or more.

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved