Matsoni

Ingredients

• 4¼ cupsmilkcow's or goat's milk, base
• 2 tbspmatsoni or plain yogurtlive culture as starter, reserve some for the next batch
• saltto taste
• fresh herbsdill or coriander, to serve (optional)
• 1 clovesgarlicfinely grated, for seasoning (optional)
• 2 tbspcreamfor a richer set (optional)
• honeyfor sweetening when serving (optional)
• walnutschopped, for sprinkling (optional)
• 1⅓ ozpomegranate seedsfor garnish (optional)
• 2 tsplimefreshly squeezed, for seasoning (optional)

Method

1. Warm the whole milk in a pot, stirring now and then — either just to hand-warm or right up to below boiling, whichever you prefer; if you want a richer set, stir in the cream now.
2. Let the milk cool to around 40–115 °F; it should feel clearly warm on the inside of your wrist, but not hot.
3. Stir the matsoni or plain yogurt smooth with a little of the warm milk so no lumps remain, then mix that back into the rest of the milk.
4. Pour the milk into a clean container, cover it and keep it somewhere warm until the mixture is set and pleasantly sour — with a short warm ferment, count on 6 to 12 hours.
5. Check that it is ready: the matsoni stands semi-firm in the container and pulls cleanly away from the side when you tilt it.
6. Chill the container to stop the fermentation and firm up the texture; a few hours in the fridge do it good.
7. Season with salt to taste and finish with finely grated garlic, citrus zest and lime juice — or leave it plain if you are serving it sweet.
8. Serve it as it is, with honey or preserves, scattered with dill or coriander, chopped walnuts and pomegranate seeds.
9. Set a little aside and keep it in the fridge as the starter culture for your next batch.

Tips and variations

If you like, heat the milk to 85–90 °C beforehand instead of only warming it to 40–45 °C. Instead of the short warm ferment you can also let the batch ripen for 24–48 hours at room temperature; goat's milk in place of cow's milk is another option, and a splash of cream makes the result richer. For a good starter course, drain the matsoni over a fine sieve and serve it as a thick, seasoned cream with pomegranate sauce, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds — savoury with salt, garlic, red pepper and citrus zest rather than sweet with honey.