54 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 

A

s we have found 
ourselves at home 
more and more, 
many of us have turned to 
cooking things 
for ourselves that 
we’
d usually buy 
without a second 
thought. 
For me, such 
an item has been 
yogurt; after 
making a batch, you suddenly 
realize that the process is so 

easy and so straightforward 
that you won’t need to shop for 
yogurt again. (You still will, but 
… you know.) 
The most important note is 
to keep a little bit of yogurt as 
starter for your next batch — 
otherwise you’ll get ready to 
make a new batch of yogurt, 
only to find yourself buying 
one small container of plain 
yogurt to make yourself one 
big container of plain yogurt.
I fill my yogurt into 6-ounce 

jars from old purchased 
yogurts past; you can use jam 
or jelly canning jars or sealable 
reusable containers of any type 
you like. Try to use things that 
don’t pick up strong flavors — 
the last thing you want is vanil-
la-onion yogurt.
This is also a great recipe for 
Shabbos — once it’s been heat-
ed, there’s no more cooking. 
Once it’s in the oven to fer-
ment, it’s done being touched 
for at least 12 hours. 

French-Style Yogurt

Aaron Egan 

FOOD
FROM THE HOME KITCHEN OF CHEF AARON

FRENCH-STYLE 
YOGURT
Yield: About 6-7 5-ounce 
portions of yogurt

Ingredients
4¾ cups of whole milk
¾ tsp. vanilla extract
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. existing yogurt

Directions
1. Pour the milk and sugar 
into a saucepan and heat 
on a medium-low flame 
until it reaches 180°F. Hold 
between 180°F-190°F for 
one hour. Stir frequently 
during the whole process 
to avoid scorching or 
cooking the milk proteins. 
(I always end up with a bit 
of cooked milk, so don’t 
worry if it’s not perfect. 
You want to avoid an 
actual scorch.)
2. Turn off the heat and 
let the milk cool down on 
the counter or stovetop to 
around 110°F.
3. Put the cultured 
yogurt into a bowl and 
add a quarter cup of the 
warm milk, then whisk 
until no lumps are left.
4. Pour the mixture and 
the vanilla extract into the 

saucepan and mix well.
5. Place the jars you will 
be using on a sheet pan/
baking dish. Portion the 
final yogurt mixture into 
the jars. Cover with plastic 
wrap.
6. Turn your oven on to 
preheat for 90 seconds. 
Turn it off, place the yogurt 
tray in the oven and leave 
the oven light on. If not 
possible, a small paraffin 
wax light or 12-hour tea 
light-type candle will work 
to keep the temperature in 

the oven slightly warmer 
than body temperature (in 
that 100-110 range.)
7. Ferment, untouched, 
for 12 hours (or more, my 
last batch went 16 hours.)
8. Remove from the 
oven and refrigerate for 
several hours for the best 
texture. Cover individually 
once fully cooled. This 
yogurt will have a thick, 
creamy consistency 
and should stand up 
somewhat when spooned 
out of the container. 

Learn How to Wow 
Your Employer

JVS Human Services will hold 
a free Zoom webinar on Feb. 
1 at 1 p.m. entitled “How to 
‘Wow’ Your Future Employer 
in an Interview.” 
 The Zoom program will 
feature a human resource pro-
fessional from the med-tech 
company Xoran Technologies, 
along with a JVS Human 
Services recruiter — both have 
inside knowledge of how to 
impress a potential employer 
and how to avoid red flags 
that could derail the hiring 
process. 
 To register for the program, 
go to the events page at www.
jvshumanservices.org. The 
webinar will later be streamed 
on the JVS Human Services 
Facebook page.
“The New Year is typically 
a time when people reset the 
clock and feel excited and 
hopeful about starting some-
thing new and that particu-
larly goes for employment,” 
said Sherrie James, supervisor 
of career counseling at JVS 
Human Services. “The cur-
rent labor market, which has 
employers scrambling for the 
right candidates, gives job 
seekers a real impetus to make 
that change now.” 
James explained that Metro 
Detroiters also have the option 
to get more detailed career 
counseling, computer training 
and job search assistance from 
JVS Human Services. The 
agency can provide direction 
on the type of employment 
job seekers might be qualified 
for, plus personalized inter-
view practice, and advice on 
resumes and LinkedIn. 
Those seeking one-on-one 
career counseling, computer 
training or job search assis-
tance can email employmen-
thelp@jvshumanservices.org 
or call (248) 233-4245. 

