Smoked yoghurt

A recipe made for me by the cheeky chaps from The Melbourne Pantry. It came about after (my now partner) Sharlee asked if I knew someone who could smoke butter for a top British chef who was appearing at the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. It made me think, how would smoking yoghurt be, and... well, it rocks. Add the recipe to carrots, their tops, honey and smoked yoghurt.

Credit: Mr Wilkinson’s Simply Dressed Salads

• makes

  1 cup

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 250 g (1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 handful woodchips suitable for smoking; I like apple or hickory chips

Instructions

Line a cast-iron wok with a double layer of foil. Scatter the woodchips in the middle, then place a wire rack on top. 

Put the yoghurt in a small metal bowl, then set it on top of a slightly larger bowl that has ice in it. (This will prevent the yoghurt curdling during smoking.)

Place the wok over a high heat and get the woodchips smoking. Set the ice bowl (containing the bowl of yoghurt) on the rack. Place a tight-fitting lid on top ­– or you could also use a large bowl turned upside down as lid.

Smoke over a high heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid and carefully remove the yoghurt bowl.

Whisk the yoghurt back together, transfer to a fresh bowl, then cover and refrigerate until required. The smoked yoghurt will keep for 7–10 days in the fridge.

Note

• It can be good to do this outside using a small portable gas cooker, as it gets pretty smoky inside!

This is an edited extract from Mr Wilkinson’s Simply Dressed Salads by Matt Wilkinson, published by Hardie Grant (RRP $49.95), available in stores nationally.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.