Three Staples in my Low-carb-high-fat Kitchen

I focus on the recipes that make up the staple foods in my family’s day.  Enjoy Dr. Richard Maurer

1. How to make your own yogurt
2. How to make a salad dressing
3. How to make mayonnaise

The reason to do the above three things are:

Yogurt – I have made my own yogurt now for over 5 years.  At 2 quarts of yogurt a week for my family, I have saved over $3,000 making yogurt and avoided the use of >1000 plastic containers.  In the process, I am getting a higher acidophilus count because of the length of time I leave it in the warmer, and I am starting with raw local organic milk – supporting the farms and farmers directly.

Dressing – Most store bought dressing includes cheap quality oils.  The good olive oil and balsamic or lemon that you use will be far superior, and will simplify your kitchen.

Mayonnaise – Fresh mayonnaise is a totally different food than the white thick stuff that is on the store shelves with an expiration date somehow 2 years ahead of the purchase date – Egg yolks and olive oil should go bad by then.

Make your own Yogurt

You will need:

Glass jars

Real milk

A prior batch or bought plain whole yogurt

A tight-lidded insulated cooler

Cream, optional

Start with a good quality whole milk – I buy fresh local raw milk from Jersey Cows.

If a thicker yogurt is desired, add several ounces of whole cream per quart of milk

Heat milk and cream mixture until some bubbles form on the surface (this is >160 F degrees and less than 212 degrees F)

Cover and let set until about room temperature

Add 2-4 TBS of an established plain whole yogurt. Use your prior batch or a quality store bought yogurt to each quart mason jar.  If store bought – Avoid any product that adds gelatin or dried milk – get a good clean yogurt like Seven Stars Plain Whole. I have even used the bigger label “Stoneyfield” and it works very well.

Pour the cooled milk into the mason jars over the yogurt, cover and shake to mix contents

Place one or multiple jars into an insulated cooler like the “Playmate” coolers and fill to the lids with hot water from your tap – cover tightly and let set on the counter overnight.  Keep in the warm “cooler” for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours if a stronger culture is desired.

Make your own Salad Dressing

Let’s keep it really simple here.  I make one salad dressing 90% of the time.  So let’s just do that one first.  Households in Europe and the Mediterranean have no store bought salad dressing – it is quick and simple to make it yourself and the quality of the oil is always better.

In a separate jar on in the bottom of the salad bowl mix together:

Extra virgin, cold pressed Olive oil, lemon juice (fresh), Celtic salt, Dijon mustard, a pinch of sugar

Now, for a little discussion.  Olive oil is at least 4 ounces to accommodate the juice of one lemon.  The mustard is Grey Poupon and the sugar is less than ¼ tsp.  This isn’t even a single gram of sugar, but it adds a lot of flavor – by lessening the bitterness of some of the bitter mesclun greens.  Easy huh?

The other 10% of the time, I make Ceasar salad dressing.  This is the same as above with this change: Add an egg yolk to the lemon juice first, whip together.  Then slowly add the olive oil while whipping.  When it thickens slightly – I add the other ingredients.  This is served with romaine lettuce, anchovies and pecorino romano cheese.

Make your own Mayonnaise

Now for this one, I have found a very good quality store bought that is really close to homemade, fresh mayonnaise in the cooler of some gourmet shops and health food stores.  It is by “deLouis fils” and will have a short shelf-life once opened – about 10 days.

To make my own – take 2 egg yolks from (pasture-fed chickens if possible), mix with 1 ½ TBS fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp Dijon mustard and a pinch of salt.  Blend with a handheld blender or a whisk.  Once well-mixed, start pouring the oil mixture slowly in while continually mixing.  I use 50% olive oil and 50% grapeseed oil.  This comes out with the best flavor – all olive oil is pretty intense.  Use about ¾ cup of oil to get the right thickness of mayonnaise.

It will be a little thinner than store bought because of the lack of chemical thickeners, but will thicken once cool.  Will keep in Refrigerator for up to 7-10 days.

Enjoy. – Dr. Richard Maurer