Homemade Yogurt Mousse with Blueberry Compote

I have been wanting to make mamia, a Basque version of yogurt made with sheep’s milk but I do not have access to fresh sheep’s milk so I settled for regular yogurt made with cow’s milk. Mamia, also known as cuajada in Spain, is not as tangy as yogurt. As a matter of fact, it is a little bit sweet and has the texture of fresh cheese. So it’s something in between thick yogurt and fresh cheese. It is traditionally served in red clay jars with honey and walnuts.

I have been making yogurt on and off for many years. We had a yogurt maker at home when I was growing up and my mother used to make it for us. People often ask me “why make your own when you can get really great quality yogurt in the supermarket?”. I don’t really know why. I suppose I like to put a little bit of love in everything I eat and everything I feed my family… just like my mother did. I am very particular about my yogurt and I cannot tolerate most supermarket brands. They are too sweet and they have too many binding ingredients that result in a gelatin-like product.

I used raw, unfiltered wildflower honey from Florida and organic blueberries. It is rare nowadays to find local ingredients at the supermarket but I got lucky this time. That’s what I miss about the Basque Country, great quality, homegrown ingredients.

I own a yogurt maker so I used it in this recipe but it is not a must. My oldest brother makes his own yogurt by heating the milk, adding the culture and letting the saucepan sit in a warm part of the kitchen overnight, so if you don’t have an electric yogurt maker, you can still make yogurt!

I also bought some yogurt starter from Yogourmet that contains acidophilus and other bacteria but you can use store-bought yogurt (125 ml plain yogurt) as a starter.

YOGURT

500 ml (2 cups) of organic whole milk
500 ml (2 cups) of organic skim milk
1 package of yogurt starter or 1 plain yogurt

In a saucepan, heat the milk to almost boiling point about 82ºC (180ºF).
Let the milk cool down to 42ºC-44ºC (108ºF-112ºF).
Add the yogurt starter to the milk. Mix well and pour into jars. Turn the yogurt maker on and let it culture for about 4 hours.

YOGURT MOUSSE

400 grams (2 cups) of homemade or store-bought plain yogurt
100 grams (4 Tbs) raw, unfiltered wildflower honey (any good quality honey will do)
8 grams (2 tsp) powdered gelatin
100 ml (½ cup) cold water
450 grams (2 cups) heavy cream

Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt and the honey.
In a small bowl bloom the gelatin in the cold water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Whisk the dissolved gelatin into the yogurt mixture.
Finally, fold the heavy cream into the yogurt base.
Pipe the mousse into small ramekins or pour into bowls.

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

300 grams (2 cups) of organic blueberries
75 grams (4 Tbs) of organic milled sugar

Cook the blueberries with the sugar in a small saucepan in low to medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the blueberries start to break open and the sugar makes a sauce.

I like to eat my yogurt mousse cold but my blueberry compote lukewarm… Delicious!

Finally, I have to thank my friend Katherine for helping me today with the photos for this blog. It was a cloudy afternoon and I had trouble getting good shots, but she came to my rescue! And also, that cutie pie holding the bowl, that’s Stella, Katherine’s little girl. She’s so cute!