Yogurt Cheese with Honey

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Mike Driscoll for sending this one:

"It's so weird all the different names they have for groups of
animals. They have pride of lions, school of fish, rack of lamb."
- Ellen DeGeneres

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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I'll never forget the first time I tasted this dish. I was a college
student traveling through Greece with some friends during the summer
of 1974 and must have been feeling prosperous because I hardly ever
ordered dessert in the inexpensive little tavernas we frequented. I
had read about "giaourti kai meli" and was intrigued by the simplicity
of this fabled Greek dish, so I ordered some and was surprised when
the owner of the taverna plopped a little foil-covered plastic cup
unceremoniously on the table. Already disappointed that my request
hadn't produced the creamy mounds of fresh Greek yogurt dripping with
honey fresh from the hive in the cut-glass dish that I had pictured in
my mind's eye, I peeled off the aluminum foil and dipped my plastic
spoon into the prefabricated dessert with shattered expectations. What
I tasted was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten before
or since. I'll never recapture the magic of that first taste (although
I've tried many times), but I can provide a very close approximation.
The yogurt cheese in the following recipe produces a product very
similar to Greek yogurt, and if you use the best honey available
(preferably collected near where you live), you'll be transported back
to a more carefree time and place along with me.

Yogurt Cheese with Honey

16 oz (1 L) plain active culture yogurt
Honey to taste

Place the yogurt in a strainer or colander lined with coffee filters
or several layers of cheesecloth and place over a bowl to catch the
liquid that will drip out. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, until the
yogurt has the consistency of soft cream cheese. Serve drizzled with
good quality honey. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Fri Oct 22 17:39:38 2004