Yogurt Sauce Two Ways
Summer Herb Yogurt Sauce
Here’s an opportunity to use summer’s freshest herbs to make a sauce that goes beautifully with a crudité platter, white-fleshed fish, potatoes, or a roasted main course. We think these sauces are winners not only because they are delicious, but because yogurt is a low-calorie vehicle for showcasing many different flavors. In addition, the active cultures in yogurt provide you with the much-heralded probiotics, which are helpful for healthy digestion. The herb combinations and quantities are flexible, according to taste, but use the freshest herbs available.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
1 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh sorrel
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh mint
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups 0% Greek yogurt
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the dill, sorrel, mint, tarragon, parsley, garlic, and salt in a food processor and purée until smooth. With the machine running, add the oil and yogurt and process until fully blended, making a beautiful green sauce. Season with additional salt, if needed, and pepper.
Winter-Spiced Yogurt Sauce
This is a great crudité dip or sauce for broiled or grilled fish. It keeps for a week refrigerated.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 4 teaspoons)
¾ cup finely chopped shallots (about 4 large shallots) or red onion
2 to 3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 cups 0% Greek yogurt
1 cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped
Kosher salt, if desired
Using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, finely crush or grind the cumin and fennel seeds, pepper flakes, and black peppercorns together.
In a small saucepan, heat the oil over low heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots are translucent, about 5 minutes (do not allow to color). Add the spice mixture and ground coriander. Sauté until the mixture becomes very fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature or refrigerate for 30 minutes. (The mixture will keep for 2 weeks or longer refrigerated.)
Spoon half the spice mixture into a medium bowl, add the yogurt and cilantro, and stir to combine. Continue to add the spice mixture until you have the desired flavor intensity and consistency you want. Season with salt, if desired, and serve.
Homemade Ricotta
As home chefs, we are committed to making whatever we can from scratch. Hence this recipe for delicious, easily made soft-curd cheese that is a cousin to ricotta. It has about a million uses, all of them tasty: As a starter with pears, crusty bread, and honey or our Savory Plum-Tomato Jam (here). Or spread it on crostini and sprinkle with cracked black pepper and lemon zest and drizzle with olive oil. It makes a great topping for pastas too. Our families have also been known to eat it straight out of the pot while it’s still warm. The ricotta will last, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days, if your family can resist it that long.
Buttermilk is used to curdle the milk to make the ricotta. But if you don’t have buttermilk, you can make it yourself by pouring 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice into a measuring cup, then adding low-fat or whole milk to the 1¼-cup line. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes to let the ingredients react.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
4 cups 2% milk (or for lower fat content, 2½ cups whole milk, 1½ cups skim milk)
1¼ cups buttermilk
Kosher salt
Combine the milks in a large heavy pot and bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 180 to 190°F, or until you see steam rising from it.
The mixture will begin to separate into curds and whey. (The curds will collect in the middle of the pot. The whey liquid will migrate to the edges.) Once this happens, reduce the heat to as low as possible and stir the mixture gently once or twice. Cook for 2 minutes more, remove from the heat, and allow to rest for 15 to 30 minutes. (This helps the curds develop.)
Line a large strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth and set the strainer over a large bowl. Using a slotted spoon, gently ladle the curds into the cheesecloth—do not pour. Allow the curds to drain for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. The longer you allow the cheese to drain, the firmer it will become.
When your desired firmness is reached, transfer to a bowl and add salt to taste. Serve or store in the refrigerator.