I am pleased to say that the homemade yogurt was a success! I was nervous about tasting it, and had braced myself for the worst possible flavor/texture and a dry heaving experience, or worse… Fortunately no such experience was had! The yogurt thickened nicely and has a similar consistency to Yoplait custard style yogurt. It also has a very mild flavor–not nearly as tart as store bought plain yogurt. After determining it “safe to eat” I used some of it to make a batch of Mango-Mint Lassi. I didn’t have cardamom or star anise, so I just used the other ingredients the recipe called for.
This was very easy to make–one diced mango, about 15 fresh mint leaves, 1 tbsp. of lime juice, 3 tbsp. brown sugar, 3 ice cubes, and about a cup and a half of homemade plain yogurt into the blender. The end product was very thick, and could either be enjoyed like a smoothie, or eaten with a spoon.
I wonder if this concoction would freeze nicely to make frozen yogurt or popsicles…