Coconut Yogurt

A couple of weeks ago, I was buying Ronnybrook milk at the farmer's market behind the Museum of Natural History, when the person in front of me asked for coconut yogurt, exclaiming "I love this stuff, it's amazing!" So I said that I'd have what she was having, and had a great surprise: it really is wonderful. The taste and texture of the coconut flakes are subtle but combine with the sourness of the yogurt to produce an almost-dessert product that's great by itself or to elevate fresh fruit.

There are two problems with Ronnybrook's coconut yogurt. First, it is hard to find. Second, it is made with full-fat yogurt, and many people (me included) prefer low- or no-fat yogurt. So I set out to try to make my own with store-bought Face Greek-style yogurt and with my homemade 1% yogurt. I thought  it would be difficult to find just the right proportion of coconut to yogurt, and also asked myself whether to use sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes. It turns out that my first trial was a success: 90 grams of Greek yogurt, 10 grams of sweetened coconut flakes. This ratio also worked for my homemade yogurt, even though it is considerably more tart than the Greek-style. Obviously, you can use more or less coconut according to your taste.

Just to be sure, I tried using unsweetened coconut flakes, which provide the texture but not the satisfying sweetness. While adjusting with sweetener could fix this, why bother? Just stick with the readily available sweetened coconut flakes.

If you can get it, try Ronnybrook's coconut yogurt. Otherwise, make  your own.

Bobby Jay