Yogurt

Just a few days after returning from Greece, I had the opportunity to take a cooking class sponsored by FAGE yogurt at the International Culinary Center located at the French Culinary Institute in NYC. One of my favorite meals in Greece was the yogurt breakfasts served everyday with honey. The brand of yogurt I was had there was FAGE (pronounced “fa-yeh”) so I was excited to learn some new recipes using this brand back here at home.

You may think that all Greek yogurts are the same- dry, gritty and extra thick. Well, I assure you they aren’t all like that! FAGE Total is creamy, smooth and silky. Not only is the texture unlike the other brands of Greek yogurt, the flavor is full and rich regardless of which fat content you choose. There are multiple flavors and three variations available; full fat, 2% and 0%. But classically, the plain flavor, full fat or 2% is the way to go.

For this class, we had planned on making eight dishes, but we were all starving and since we kept taking breaks to eat what we were making, we actually only had time to prepare six dishes. We did, however, receive recipes for the rest to attempt to make another time.

The class was broken up in threes and I paired up with two blogging friends, Monica from Macaroni Kid East Side and Lisa from New York Chica. We had such a good time! There was lots of laughing and even more tasting! Monica and I couldn’t stop eating the Macaroni and Cheese, even before it went into the oven! It was that delicious! (Made with a bechamel sauce and lots of cheese, it was incredibly decadent, but worth every calorie!)

Here’s what was on the menu (the last two we didn’t make, but we tasted!):

FAGE FRIED CHICKEN

FAGE LEMON COLESLAW

FAGE MACARONI & CHEESE

This was really just so good! We kept eating it just like this!

FAGE YOGURT DILL BISCUITS

Monica rolls out the dough.

Lisa cuts out some biscuits.

FAGE YOGURT POTATO SALAD

FAGE YOGURT PARFAITS

FAGE YOGURT PANNA COTTA WITH RHUBARB STRAWBERRY COMPOTE

FAGE YOGURT GREEK EGGS BENEDICT

Additional recipes can be found on their website.

Once all the dishes were cooked, we were treated to a buffet of all the things we made, served with our choices of wine.

It was so nice to sit and chat and eat such good food. And to extend my Greek vacation a little bit longer!

Try FAGE Total yogurt and let me know what you think. It’s my new favorite brand of Greek yogurt.

Maple and bacon go really well together and we couldn’t help but think that a party platter with cheese triangles would be a perfect pairing for this incredible sauce. It will be a hit at your next party for sure. Who can resist?

Ingredients

Filling:

6 oz. goat cheese, softened

1 tbs. honey

1 ½ tsp. ground cardamom

6 Sheets of phyllo dough

½ stick butter, melted

Sauce:

1 cup Greek yogurt, vanilla flavored

1 tbs. maple syrup

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 slices of bacon

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, the honey and the cardamom until well blended. Set aside.

Arrange the bacon in a frying pan and cook until crispy. Crumble or cut into bits. Set aside.

Brush each sheet of phyllo dough with the melted butter and layer together. Brush the top layer with butter and cut the phyllo into three strips and again into four squares. Add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture onto the phyllo square and fold into triangles pinching the edges to seal shut. Brush each finished triangle with butter.

Place triangles onto a baking sheet and bake for 15- 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a baking rack.

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, maple syrup and the pumpkin pie spice.

To serve, spread a spoonful of the yogurt sauce on the bottom of a plate, arrange the phyllo triangles and sprinkle with the bacon.