
Fat didn’t seem related to taste – or texture. Which seemed curious to us. Some loved the tartness (while others puckered up), others dove into the thick textured versions, and one team member was ecstatic over the ‘cream on the top’ full-fat organic yogurt. For some plates, I can’t even begin to remember how many times we cried out, “Ack!” “Pthu!,” wondering, “Is that cottage cheese?,” or “Why is it so runny?” One of the all-time favs was a locally made yogurt – Sophia’s Greek Pastry (http://www.sophiasgreekpantry.com) made fresh daily with 2% Vermont milk. I’ve tried it in the past and find it simply too rich to eat but some of our tasters vowed to buy their own double-pints on the way home.
My favorite, pre-test, is Fage’s Total 0% fat-free Greek yogurt – with a drizzle of organic maple syrup, whole roasted almonds, blueberries and a spoonful of ground flaxseed. The protein content of a cup of Greek or Icelandic yogurt is like eating 2-2 1/2 cups of regular plain yogurt and the thick, creamy texture is dessert-like.
Bottom line: Plain yogurt tops the chart for our taste testers over those ‘fruit-on-the-bottom’ (or is that jam?), sugar-ladened, whipped and custardized faux yogurts. Once you identify the brand you resonate with, it can be individualized for taste preference with fresh or dried fruit, natural sugar, and nuts for a healthy, protein and calcium-rich breakfast or snack. Hmmmmm, maybe even that late night, after dinner treat!