noosa yoghurt two ways: roasted beets and quince applesauce

I just returned from a 10-day trip in Australia’s Blue Mountains where I taught a food styling and photography workshop with my friend Luisa Brimble, hosted by the beautiful Sophie Hansen. I have so many images to go through and hopefully I will be able to share the experience with you shortly. I went from true Seattle rainy autumn to a bountiful, rose-filled spring in Australia. More on that later because it really was a visual feast that I must share.

A few weeks ago, I attended a food blogger brunch at Seattle’s The Whale Wins where I was introduced to noosa yoghurt. I had seen it around the markets but had not yet tasted it. I really enjoyed the different flavors, even though I usually gravitate towards plain and unsweetened yoghurts, and the silky texture that comes from using whole milk. After that event, I partnered with noosa to develop some simple recipes to highlight their yoghurt. Roasted beets with yoghurt and hazelnut-rose dukkah over sourdough bread and another recipe for yoghurt and granola bowl with quince applesauce.

A little bit about the brand… In 2009, Australian expat Koel Thomae set out to bring the best tasting yoghurt to the U.S. and founded noosa with Colorado dairy farmer Rob Graves. noosa (yes, the first letter is lowercase) comes from an authentic family recipe and is all-natural, gluten-free, probiotic, and made with whole milk. The yoghurt is made on-site in Bellvue, Colorado. The milk is sourced locally from family farms located within an hour of Bellevue. noosa is currently available in a variety of flavors, including Vanilla, Cranberry Apple, Pumpkin, Honey, Blueberry, Mango, Raspberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Peach, Lemon, Tart Cherry, Plain, Pineapple, and Coconut. Although the brand was founded by an Aussie, noosa is only available in the US at this time.

I hope you will give these recipes a try!

Roasted beets with noosa yogurt and dukkah over toast

serves 4

For the Hazelnut and Rose Dukkah:

makes a little bit over 1 cup

1/2 cup raw hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons dried rose petals
1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the hazelnuts, sesame, coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a medium sauce pan and toast over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer into a bowl and let the mixture cool. Add the rose petals, salt and pepper and combine. Store in a jar for up to a month.

For the roasted beets:

1 pound baby beets (any color), stems trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon za’atar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons water

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Peel the beets and cut them in half (if they are large, cut them into quarters). Transfer onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add the thyme, za’atar, salt, pepper and toss to combine. Add water to the pan and roast for 30 minutes or until the beets are tender.

To assemble the dish:

Toast 8 pieces of sourdough bread (I used gluten-free bread). Top each piece of bread with roasted beets, 2 tablespoons of plain noosa yogurt, 1 tablespoon of Hazelnut and Rose Dukkah and a few sprigs of micro greens (I used cilantro micro).

Noosa yogurt with granola and quince applesauce

serves 4

For the Quince Applesauce:

1 pound quince, peeled, quartered and cored
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
2 pounds Macintosh apples (or any other apple with red skin to give it a pink tint), quartered and cored

1. If the quince quarters are large, cut them in half. Place quince, water, lemon juice and sugar in a pot. Bring liquid to a boil, cover pot with a lid, reduce heat to simmer and cook quince for 20 minutes.

2. Add the quartered apples (with skin on) to the pot and continue cooking for another 30 to 40 minutes until all the quince and apple pieces are tender. Transfer to a food mill and puree the mixture. Taste and adjust sugar if needed. Let the quince applesauce cool and transfer to glass jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

For the granola, follow my Basic Granola recipe.

To serve:

Pour 4 bowls with 1/2 cup of plain or any flavored noosa yogurt (I like the coconut one). Sprinkle 1/2 cup granola on top and dollop 1/4 cup of Quince Applesauce.