Recipe - Basic Yogurt Cheese

16 ounce Nonfat plain yogurt
Coffee filters
lg Colander (the larger the
better)

Line a large colander with coffee machine filters. Place the yogurt into
the filters, spreading over as large an area as possible. Place colander
over a large dish to drain for 24 hours. (refrigerate) The watery whey will
drain out of the yogurt, leaving a cheeselike substance similar in
consistency to cream cheese. The longer the yogurt drains, the firmer it
will become as more whey drains out. (Although many people drain it only
for 24 hours, I like to start early and let it drain a little longer for
firmer consistency.) And though it's not essential, I think I get better
results if I replace the coffee filters once or twice during the process
(the yogurt will be becoming drier and firmer and is usually easy for me to
remove it from one filter to the next. If you choose to do this, you will
notice less and less whey draining out each time as the yogurt becomes
"cheese". This method is easy for me since I have the items on hand and I
like it better than using cheesecloth. Some people really love the yogurt
funnels that you can buy at many culinary cookshops.

Plain yogurt cheese is 12 calories per tablespoon and has no fat. Yogurt
cheese may be used as a substitute in cheese balls, spreads, dips,
cheesecakes, etc. It is a good alternative to any of the following: ricotta
cheese, sour cream, cream cheese or mayonnaise. Posted to TNT Prodigy's
Recipe Exchange Newsletter by katiescarlett1@juno.com (L J G) on Aug 16,
1997