Yogurt tempers your spicy flavours

I must admit I love cooking and baking with yogurt. Yogurt is used quite a bit in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Indian cooking, it is used within the recipe and served alongside dishes, the addition adds a tempering effect to any hot and spicy flavours and also aids with digestion.

Baking with yogurt ensures your end result is moist and tender, biscuits and cakes all benefit from the addition of yogurt. It’s very easy to make your own yogurt, all you need is a stainless steel saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, one quart, 4 cups of full cream milk and quarter-cup unflavoured yogurt. Bring the milk in the saucepan to a boil, then boil for a few minutes, do not burn. Skim off any skin and froth, turn off, cover and let stand until lukewarm. Then whisk in the yogurt and cover, place in a warm environment, my oven works well, (no need to turn the oven on). Let stand for 12-15 hours, uncover, whisk to a smooth texture and pour into a container, cover and refrigerate.

Lime yogurt poppyseed cake

5 tbs butter

1 tbs poppy seeds

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup full-cream all natural yogurt

1 tbs freshly grated lime zest

11/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Glaze: 1-cup confectioner’s sugar, 2 tbs lime juice

Melt butter in a small saucepan, add poppy seeds and remove from heat, cool.

Beat eggs in an electric mixer until frothy, add sugar and continue beating until thick.

Add yogurt and combine. Add lime zest.

Combine flour with baking powder. Divide into three parts.

Fold in the flour in two parts, fold in butter and poppyseed mixture, then fold in the last of the flour.

Turn into a lined 8-inch loaf tin and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until golden or when a wooden pick inserted, comes out clean. Remove to a cooling rack.

Make the glaze: Combine confectioner’s sugar with lime juice. Spread glaze onto cake.

Let set, slice and serve.

Makes one loaf cake.

Guiltless cheesy, herby tender scones

6 cups all-purpose flour

6 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, very cold , cut into cubes

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1½ cups chopped fresh chive

1 bunch French thyme, leaves removed

1 hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 16 oz full-cream all natural yogurt

Pre -heat oven to 400 F

In a large mixing bowl place flour, baking powder and salt.

With a pastry blender cut butter into flour until the mixture resembles fine peas.

Add cheese, chive, thyme, and pepper, gently stir.

Whip the yogurt until smooth and add mixture to flour, stir gently with a wooden spoon until mixture holds together. Turn the mixture onto a floured surface.

Divide into 2 parts.

Very gently knead to a rough ball. Gently press out each piece with your hands to about 1- inch thickness. Using floured cutters stamp put scones.

Place onto a baking sheet and sprinkle on some extra grated cheese.

Bake for 30 -35 mins until golden and risen.

Makes 20 scones.

Red velvet whoopie pies

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

4 tbs vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tbs red food colouring

2/3 cup plain yogurt

4 tbs cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Filling:

Cream 2/3 cups butter with 1lb cream cheese until smooth.

Add about 2½ cups sifted icing sugar with 2 tbs sour cream, add 1 tsp orange zest.

Pre -heat the oven to 375°F.

Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add vegetable oil and beat for a few seconds, add the egg and beat until incorporated.

Stir together the food colouring and yogurt and add to the creamed butter.

Combine cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add gradually to creamed butter mixture in 3 additions, beginning and ending with dry mix. Do not over mix.

With a small ice-cream scoop, drop cookie dough onto the prepared sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the cookies slightly spring back when touched.

Cool on baking sheets for few minutes before moving to cooling racks. Let cool completely before frosting.

Prepare cream cheese frosting.

Pipe a blob of frosting onto the flat portion of one cookie, place another cookie on top flat face down and gently press until frosting comes to edge of cookie.

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