Gourmet Yoghurt for the Foodies

As you might know, I love all things gourmet. Gourmet food is known to be posh and therefore, pricey :( , but it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to satisfy your cravings... At the end of the day, gourmet is, paradoxically, defined by simplicity with a twist and a state of mind. 

Yesterday I bought four tiny jars of bio vanilla-flavoured and blackcurrant yoghurt. As I was relishing the last spoonfuls of vanilla yoghurt with great gusto, I thought that, maybe I can make my very own flavoured yoghurt at home and with the zest and the aromas that I love the most: lavender, rose water, pistachios, orange blossom water, almond & coconut flakes, crushed pulped fruit. 

And I did it! :) No sooner had the thought crossed my mind, than I found myself in the kitchen, as busy as a bee. As you can imagine, I kept the small jars (full, they weigh approx 150 gr), as they were as cute as a button; I love them because they have a vintage feel as well. Unfortunately, our whole society is too obsessed with plastic these days...

 To fill a small jar I used 4 big tablespoons of full-fat plain yoghurt.

The first flavour was -

 Yoghurt with Rose Water, Toasted Sesame & Crushed Pistachios

4 tbs plain yoghurt

1 tsp condensed milk (or honey)

2 tsp rosewater

1 tsp of toasted sesame seeds

1 tsp juice from raspberries (to colour the yoghurt naturally)

crushed pistachios, petal roses on top (to decorate)

In a small bowl, mix the yoghurt , condensed milk & rose water. Add the toasted sesame seeds and the raspberry juice to colour the flavoured yoghurt naturally. 

Pour the yoghurt in the small jar and decorate with crushed pistachios and edible rose petals. 

My second creation was -

Citrus Yoghurt with Orange Blossom Water and Crushed Digestive Biscuits

 4 tbs of plain yoghurt

1 tsp of honey

1 tsp of condensed milk

orange rind from 1 orange

2 tsp of preserved lemon rind 

2 tsp orange blossom water

1 digestive biscuit packed with sultanas (crushed)

Mix the plain yoghurt with honey, condensed milk, preserved lemon rind, orange rind and orange blossom water.

Crush the digestive biscuit and transfer it to the bottom of the jar. Pour the yoghurt on top and decorate with extra preserved lemon rind.

Last but not the least, I made this delicious -

Pink Yoghurt with Crushed Raspberries & Toasted Almond Flakes

 4 tbs of plain yoghurt

1 tsp of condensed milk

2  tsb of crushed raspberries (frozen and thawed)

+

1 tsp of honey

1 exta tsb of crushed raspberries to mix with the yoghurt

2 tsp of toasted almond flakes

preserved dried raspberries (for decoration)

Mix the yoghurt with the condensed milk and the crushed fruit so that the yoghurt turns pink. 

In a separate bowl mix the crushed raspberries with honey (otherwise the raspberries will be sour).

Pour the sweet raspberries at the bottom of the jar. Add the toasted almonds and top with the pink yoghurt.

Decorate with almond flakes and dried preserved raspberries.  

I can't pick one favourite flavour as I loved them all. I loved the smooth & crunchy texture, I loved the taste, the smell and the look of my tiny jars. To take two spoons out of the drawer, damage the decor for the "photo-shoot" broke my heart. Because I must confess without too much pride, they looked so much better than gourmet-supermarket yoghurt jars. And they tasted even better. ;p Yummy. 

supermarket vanilla flavoured yoghurt (nice, but not blog-worthy)

The last two photos were taken outside on the terrace. Today it was sunny and rainy at the same time (don't worry, I have a canopy) with sudden gusts of wind. It was chilly, but it felt springlike.

After a long winter, let's paint our life in beautiful soft colours and enjoy it to the fullest.