Many of the fine Middle Eastern restaurants around town offer a thick, homemade yogurt called Laban. If you’ve ordered it, you know just how good it is. Remarkably, it isn’t that hard to make. Miriam Goldyn, who knows a little something about the fine Middle Eastern restaurants around town, submitted this recipe, which came from her Aunt Flo. Ms. Goldyn makes it even easier by using plain yogurt as a starter.
Laban
½ gallon milk
1 quart half and half
1 cup plain yogurt (such as Dannon)
Cook’s note: This recipe can be cut in half, doubled, tripled, or more.
Place milk and half and half in a heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer a few minutes. Pour into a crock or glass container and alow to cool until you can hold a finger in the milk to a count of 10 (110° on a candy thermometer).
Dissolve the plain yogurt with 1 cup of this cooled milk. Add this mixture to the rest of the milk, and stir. Cover and wrap with a towel. Place in a warm place until set, 5-6 hours.
Refrigerate. Drain excess whey (it will be a thin liquid) from time to time. You can drain the whey by placing it in a muslin towel or a coffee filter set inside a colander over a bowl.
— Miriam Goldyn
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