Ricotta Cheese Recipes and Yogurt Cheese Recipes: Whey to Go

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It isn't. Look at the figures for one ounce: made from nonfat yogurt, 20 calories and no fat; made from low-fat yogurt, 25 calories and three-quarters of a gram of fat; made from vanilla low-fat, 31 calories and nine-tenths of a gram of fat. Both low-fats get less than 30 percent of their calories from fat.

A homemade product, this cheese is child's play to produce. Since the milk has already been acidified by yogurt-making bacteria, all that's left is to drain off the whey. Leave yogurt in a fine sieve for eight to 36 hours, and you've got cheese. The timing is imprecise and a matter of preference: The longer the draining, the more whey is released, and the thicker the cheese. The most common time — 10 to 12 hours, or overnight — produces equal portions of whey and cheese.

The simplest approach is to buy an inexpensive (about $10) yogurt strainer, typically a plastic funnel lined with fine mesh. Spoon the yogurt into the funnel, prop the funnel in a container such as a Mason jar or two-cup measure, cover the top with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Available in some kitchen specialty shops, yogurt funnels can also be mail-ordered from cheese supply companies, such as New England Cheesemaking Supply Co.

In the absence of a special tool, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth, and add the yogurt, pushing it up the sides to maximize drainage. Set the colander in a pan to catch the whey (if the colander doesn't have legs, put it on a rack), cover the whole outfit with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it.

Cheese can be made from plain or flavored yogurts, from nonfat, low-fat or whole-milk types and from most commercial brands. Just make sure the yogurt contains no gelatin (check the list of ingredients), which holds the whey in suspension and prevents it from draining off. As with ricotta, freshness matters. As yogurt gets older, it gets tarter and more likely to produce a sour-tasting cheese. Try to buy well in advance of the pull date if you want sweeter cheese.

Once you've made yogurt cheese, what do you do with it? With added herbs, flavorings and other ingredients, it can form the basis for everything from dips and spreads to pies and cheesecakes.

If you've tried and failed for years to like yogurt on your baked potato, try herbed yogurt cheese; it's better. It's also good with raw vegetables, crackers or bread, or atop a spicy taco. Just add dried or fresh minced herbs to plain yogurt cheese in any combination you like, along with some salt and perhaps some freshly ground black pepper; let it sit for at least an hour, so the flavors can blend (overnight is better). Some suggestions: basil and garlic, chives and parsley, cilantro and cumin, tarragon, lots of fresh dill, a hefty amount of crushed or very coarsely ground black peppercorns or crushed green peppercorns. Or try some minced smoked salmon, chopped chives and a little Dijon-style mustard. If the cheese tastes underflavored, add more of the herb and allow it to sit awhile longer.

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