A lighter goat cheese

Constantly on the lookout for good ways to cut fat, I was all attention when Anne Kupper said she had found a great way to make low-fat goat cheese. And Anne knows. She and Chuck Williams, of Williams-Sonoma fame, worked closely together for years.

Anne mashes a little of her favorite soft chèvre (goat) cheese and mixes it with nonfat yogurt. Then she spoons the mixture into a yogurt drainer (or cheesecloth-lined strainer nested in a bowl), covers the drainer (or wraps the strainer and bowl completely in plastic wrap), and chills the yogurt as it drains – at least overnight. For thicker cheese, drain up to two days. Discard the whey (or blend it into smoothies – it’s full of protein). Scoop the drained cheese into a container and serve, or cover and chill up to a total of seven days.

For maximum flavor, use an aged cheese, such as bûcheron. If you use 1/2 cup aged chèvre cheese and 4 cups nonfat plain yogurt (made without gelatin, or it won’t drain), you’ll get about 2 1/2 cups cheese.

Per 1/4 cup: 56 cal., 32% (18 cal.) from fat; 5 g protein; 2 g fat (1.4 g sat.); 3.6 g carbo (0 g fiber); 67 mg sodium; 5.3 mg chol.