One of the perks of being a member of the BlogHer ad network is the opportunity to review products. In this case, I was happy to be provided with an assortment of Fage yogurt to sample recently. This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Fage.
Let's start with the obvious: Greek yogurt is not like American (or French) yogurt. Richer, thicker, tangier than the sweet, almost dessert-like yogurt that is on the shelf in most grocery stores, your first taste of Greek yogurt is likely to be a revelation.
Fage yogurt, pronounced "Fa-yeh," is a Greek yogurt, made from only raw milk, raw cream, and live active cultures, and strained to roughly (or smoothly) the consistency of sour cream. Fage yogurt has a richer flavor and a more pronounced tangy hit than most of the yogurt I have gotten from any store.
In short, this is the good stuff.
The Fage Total 0% yogurt is is a bright, clear white, with a rich and creamy feel. One 6 ounce container packs 15 grams of protein into its 90 calories and there is nothing about the flavor or texture that belies the nonfat milk that went into the yogurt.
The plain 0% fat yogurt is thick enough to replace sour cream in baking. I made scones with it and they turned out meltingly tender with a subtle richness that complemented the lemon zest perfectly. (To use Greek yogurt in a recipe calling for plain yogurt, you may want to substitute milk for around 1/4 of the yogurt.)
Another container became chived yogurt cheese, although I had to really squeeze to get even a tablespoonful of moisture out of the mixture. When it was done, however, the texture was satisfyingly cream cheese-like.
The fruit and yogurt offerings come in a nifty package that keeps the fruit puree separate from the plain yogurt. This lets you mix your own fruit yogurt as you go, something I am guessing kids would particularly like. I am an instant convert to the fruit on the side style of packaging after I used half the plain yogurt to dress a salad for lunch and added the fruit to the remaining yogurt for a mini-dessert. Very cool!
Peach is my go-to fruit yogurt and the Fage peach yogurt was a lovely surprise. The fruit puree has bright, fresh, real-peach flavor, something that is more apparent when it is served on the side like this. The honey and yogurt combo is another winner, serving as a general-purpose companion for fresh fruit. The cherry was less of a winner, but the strawberry made up for it. Bonus: I made scones with one container of strawberry yogurt, using only the yogurt, and had strawberry "jam" on one of the scones. (Multi-tasking food rocks!)
One of the things I really like about Fage yogurt is what is not in it. No rBGH for a start, but also no added sweeteners, preservatives, or additives. As I mentioned, Fage yogurt is made from only raw milk and cream with live active cultures.That lovely texture and fullness comes from straining off the liquids, not the pectin or other thickening agents that some other yogurts use.
All in all, I really liked the various forms of Fage yogurt and only have one regret. The nearest place to buy it is an hour and a half from here. Luckily, the cooler my samples came in will hold a couple dozen containers so I can stock up when I go shopping.
Want to read more opinions about Fage yogurt? BlogHer has a roundup of all the participating bloggers.
Want some Fage yogurt of your own to taste and cook with? BlogHer and Fage are giving away a sampler assortment of Fage Yogurt daily. Enter to win your own sampler of Fage Yogurt here.
Have you tried Fage or other Greek-style yogurt? Share your favorite ways to eat it in the comment section below.
