Conference turris::cooks

Fromage Blanc is a kind of I think they call it where you live "cottage cheese"
but it is much softer.

You can get in easily in Belgium and France.

A pity we can't send it over the network.

Hope this helps.

    
    I believe Formage Blanc is called Farmer's Cheese here in the U.S.
    
    Bob
    

    I believe you can get it at Bread & Circus stores....I've bought it
    at the Wellesley Hills store...they're also located in Cambridge, I
    think Newton and Hadley, MA
    

    
    
     Rep .0
    
     Fromage Blanc is a kind of bland tasting cheese with the consistency
    of sour cream. Depending on the recipe I would think you could use
    either sour cream or some cream cheese thinned to the consistency
    of sour cream with milk and an electric beater.
    
    
    -mike
    

>     Fromage Blanc is a kind of bland tasting cheese with the consistency
>    of sour cream. Depending on the recipe I would think you could use
>    either sour cream or some cream cheese thinned to the consistency
>    of sour cream with milk and an electric beater.
    
    
Or, in keeping with the "Cooking Light" approach, use Yoghurt cheese
made with low fat or non fat plain yoghurt.  You can easily make this
yourself with no special tools.  Simply buy a quart of plain yoghurt - any
preferred brand will do (I use DANNON) either low or non fat.  Line
a mesh-type collander (like a sieve, only bigger) with a double layer
of damp cheese cloth.  Turn the yoghurt into the collander and suspend
the collander over a deep narrow bowl or pan and cover with foil.  Place
the whole thing in the fridge for 24 - 36 hours.  Throw away the whey
in the bowl or pan and turn your cheese out of the cheese cloth into
a bowl.  This can be used for many things...including making cheesecake.
It keeps for a week or so only.  The ratio of yoghurt to cheese is roughly
2:1...so if you need a cup of cheese, start with 2 cups of yoghurt.    

    Maybe this should have been in a new note, but since the subject of
    yogurt cheese has come up...
    
    Has anyone made ANYTHING out of it that's edible?
    
    I tried the stuff.  I made cheesecake using a recipe that called for
    the yogurt cheese.  It tasted terrible and the texture was akin to that
    of firm Jello.  Then I tried my ol' standby cheesecake recipe,
    substituting the yogurt cheese for cream cheese.  Again, it sat in the
    fridge for a few days, then went into the garbage.  I tried letting the
    stuff drip for 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours, hoping maybe I was
    doing something wrong with the yogurt itself.  Being a cheesecake
    addict and also watching calories, the yogurt cheese idea seemed too
    good to be true.  After many attempts, I've decided what my Mother told
    me was right:  "If something seems too good to be true, it probably
    is."
    
    If anyone has had different experiences, I'd sure enjoy hearing about
    them!
    
    							Pat

    RE: .6
    
    What kind of yogurt are you using?  Maybe that's the problem.  I
    mean, maybe you're using a brand with a lot of preservatives.  I've
    made yogurt cheese (I won't clutter this note with the terribly
    amusing reaction I received when I informed the salesgirl (about
    16) that I was using cheesecloth to make *cheese*), and I agree
    that it tastes awful all by itself.  I can't understand why anyone
    would use it as a substitute for cream cheese on, say, a bagel.
    
    And I've never *cooked* with it.  Was the gelatin consistency referring
    to the cheese itself or the finished cake?  If it was the cheese,
    then I think you might try using a different brand.  I used Columbo
    Non-Fat Lite Vanilla in a recipe, but it wasn't cooked.  I substituted
    the yogurt cheese for a cream cheese-sour cream mixture, and it
    was very good.
    
    I know that I've found several brands to be very gelatinous when
    when just eating the yogurt, forget making cheese out of it!  And
    another thing.  Do you *like* yogurt?  Because if you're one of
    those people who finds yogurt disgusting and wouldn't think about
    eating it, then you're *never* going to like yogurt cheese!  It
    will always taste like yogurt.
    
    Susan

    I tried to make the yogurt cheese, too, and was going to try once
    more before 'fessing up in Notes, but it didn't work for me, either!
    I used a jelly bag instead of cheesecloth, and I used plain non-fat
    Weight-Watchers brand yogurt.  However I just remembered I have
    some Dannon nonfat in the fridge, so I can try it with a different
    brand.  
    
    About the flavor, I actually prefer the plain to the flavored (except
    lemon!), and have added a packet of reduced-calorie lite Ranch dressing
    mix to it.  About two to two and a half cups yogurt to one packet.
    It will firm up and can be used spread on pita, topped with veggies,
    add a spoonful to mashed or baked potatoes, etc.  This also works
    well with 1% cottage cheese that has been smoothed out with a mixer.
    
    Terry

       Getting back to fromage blanc ...
       
       Vermont Creamery does make fromage blanc, and it is usually
       available at Bread & Circus.  It's expensive, though -- about
       $3 for a small container.
              
       A household member, who dearly misses the Belgian fromage blanc
       (which is both inexpensive and delicious) has found that whizzing
       cottage cheese in a blender or food processer makes a very
       reasonable, low-fat substitute.   The texture is just about
       perfect, and the flavor is very good (although you could get
       closer to the actual flavor -- as well as spoiling the low-fat
       advantage -- by adding a bit of sour cream or heavy cream).
       
       --Mr Topaz 

    Thank you Mr. T!  I have some cooking light mags which have recipes
    calling for this cheese, and have never made the dishes due to a
    lack of cheese.  (That particular mag tends to list ingredients
    that I never can find, which is why I stopped getting it, but that's
    another story.)  Anyhow, I do have some 2% cottage cheese in the
    fridge - breakstones - which is fairly firm, much less watery than the
    usual brand I get.  It would probably make terrific pseudo-fromage
    blanc!  Back to looking through the mags to find those recipes!
    
    --L

Comments on the yoghurt cheese:

If your yoghurt is tart, your cheese will be VERY TART.  I could not
EAT weight watchers plain yoghurt because it was so tart.  I use Dannon 
low-fat and non-fat for the mild flavor.  The karageenan in the yoghurt
seems to mostly drain out with the whey.  The texture is the same as for
homemade yoghurt cheese, anyway.  Low fat may be preferrable to non fat
for some uses, due to texture differences, as well.  I make my fruit
dip with low-fat, I use non-fat for salad dressings, baked potatoes, etc.
If you want a slightly creamier cheese cake, try low fat.

Please note, the cheese is made without the "guar and/or carob bean and/or
[other] gum" that is included in cream cheese that you purchase from a
store.  the texture of anything you make with this cheese will be different
from the cream cheese version.  To make a different texture, more like
what you are used to, substitute 1/2 of the measured yoghurt cheese with
skim milk or low fat ricotta cheese....the texture will be like you
are used to.  If you use just the yoghurt cheese, the texture is very
dense in cheesecake for instance.  Use your favorite cheesecake recipe,
substituting the cream cheese with 1/2 yoghurt cheese and 1/2 ricotta
cheese (or low-fat cottage cheese that you spin in the blender).

    Yes, I like yogurt.  Well, actually I don't eat it plain, but I love it
    sweetened, flavored, and frozen.  So I don't think the problem was that
    I'm a yogurt-hater.
    
    I only tried making yogurt cheese with Dannon non-fat yogurt.  And I
    never tried dips, salad dressings, etc. -- just cheesecake.  Perhaps I
    didn't give it a fair trial after all.
    
    Your suggestion of mixing half yogurt cheese with half ricotta or
    cottage cheese for cheesecake is certainly worth a try!  The
    cheesecakes I made didn't taste right, but their texture was much more
    of a problem than their taste.
    
    I just might also give it another try and use it in something else this
    time, like a salad dressing for example.
    
    Thanks for the tips!
    
    							Pat

    RE: .10
    
    Breakstones does have a lot less whey to it than, say, Hoods.  I
    will only eat Breakstones 2%.  And thanks from me, too, Mr. T! 
    I like this idea a lot (although I'd probably be bad and add that
    touch of sour cream!).
    
    Back to yogurt:
    
    Weight Watchers was the most disgusting yogurt I've tried to date.
    As .11 pointed out, it is *very* bitter.  But, unlike .11, I can't
    stand Dannon low-fat, either.  I find it has a bitter edge that
    the Columbo non-fat just doesn't have (just finished a cup, and
    got my parents eating because it's the only one they've tried that
    isn't bitter).
    
    Other brands I stay away from are Breyers (which tastes like sugar
    with a little yogurt added), Hood, and Stoneyfield.  Now before
    anyone jumps in, just let me say that the only reason I stay away
    from Stoneyfield is because I *love* it.  They've just started making
    a low or nonfat, and I didn't like the French Vanilla (great to
    bake with, though).  Stoneyfield regular (fat-laden!) would make
    great yogurt cheese, if you're not trying to cut calories/fat. 
    (By the way, non and lowfat yogurts don't save much in calories.)
    
    These are only my opinions, obviously.  Most people I know like
    Dannon, but you may be like me, so I thought I'd mention it.
    
    And I, too, love the idea of 1/2 ricotta (part skim, of course!)
    and 1/2 yogurt cheese.  It's a great idea.  I'll have to try it
    soon.
    
    Susan