Simple, Classic French "Gateau au Yaort" (Yogurt Cake)

It seems everyone has a family recipe for "Gateau au Yaourt" (pronounced gah-toe oh yah-oor).  You might ask what is so special about a yogurt cake?  It is a recipe, whose measurements are proportional by volume, so it is easy to remember and even simpler to make. 

Ingredients
1 single-portion container of plain yogurt
2 eggs
vegetable oil
sugar
flour
1 sachet baking powder (11g, or appx. .5 oz or 1T)
pinch of salt
vanilla extract
grease or spray for pan

Supplies
Baking dish
mixing bowl
spoon
 
Flavoring options: rum, diced apple, sliced banana, pineapple, cinnamon, cocoa, nutella, nuts, extracts, etc...

Directions


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160C).

Crack two eggs into the bowl, gently beat.
Empty yogurt container into bowl, stir into eggs.
Fill yogurt container halfway with oil, stir into eggs.
Splash in some vanilla extract.

Rinse and dry yogurt container.

Measure 2 yogurt containers of sugar and stir into liquids.
Measure 3 yogurt containers of flour and stir into batter.
Add sachet of baking powder and pinch of salt, stir into batter.

Add your desired "extras".

Pour smooth batter into greased baking dish.  Bake for 1 hour.
Enjoy!

Adventures in Cheeses!

A week ago Tuesday, I made homeade macaroni and cheese from a blend of Emmental and Jeune Cantal.  Big success!  Eventually, I will make it again, remember to take pictures, and post it on the blog.  Unlike in the U.S. where I usually buy a can of pumpkin puree to thicken the bechemel sauce and add some healthy veggie-ness, in France, I would have had to buy my own pumpkin, roast it, and puree it.  Since I was busy earning my Master's degree via Skype defense, I did not have time to do that.  But I do have a Master's degree now!

Last Tuesday, I bought supermarket Brie de Meaux.  Big mistake.  Ate a bit that day for lunch, and while the cheese is characteristically fort, strong tasting, this particular slice was pushing it.  Badly overripe, my husband said it made the whole apartment smell like fart.  The smell intensified overnight to where even I couldn't eat it, and the remainder made its way into the trash.

 A typical, casual,ch lunch spread--I love Paris!

Yesterday, at the market near Metro Bastille, I bought an aged Cantal and a Trou du Cru, both cow's milk cheeses, for a picnic.  Delicious!  Despite having a name one-letter removed from the French word for "asshole" (honestly, that amused me enough that that is why I picked the cheese), it was creamy, complex, a bit tangy and just plain delicious.

And a picture of our market picnic: those aren't ordinary strawberries, they are gariguettes.