Recipe: Dannon's Recipe for Basic Yogurt Cheese

BASIC YOGURT CHEESE

"Yogurt cheese made with nonfat or lowfat yogurt is a delicious alternative to regular cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, or even whipped cream."

2 cups yogurt*

Start by emptying two cups of yogurt into a large, fine-meshed strainer or colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth, a few plain white paper towels or a coffee filter.

Place a bowl under the strainer to catch the liquid (whey) that will separate from the yogurt. Cover the strainer or colander and refrigerate for 8-24 hours; the longer the yogurt is allowed to sit, the thicker the cheese will become.

*Yogurt cheese is easy to make. You can use plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt, or lowfat, vanilla, coffee or lemon flavored yogurt. However, you should not use a yogurt that contains gelatin. The gelatin will prevent the whey from separating.

Two cups of yogurt make about one cup of yogurt cheese
Source: Dannon