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Cooking with Kefir

It is perfect blended with ice and fruit – and perhaps a little honey – to make delicious yogurt-based desserts. Because it has a subtle savoury flavour it can also be folded through with some olive oil, salt and a little garlic and used as a side dish for salads and grilled meats, such as lamb.

Blue Bay’s Kefir Recipes Website

For a complete list of recipes using kefir, visit our Kefir Recipes Website

Beef Stroganoff with Blue Bay Kefir

Promoting Gut Health

Kefir contains probiotics capable of colonising the gut where they improve cholesterol metabolism and promote a healthier immune system. They also help balance good and bad bacteria and are effective in managing gastroenteritis. There is evidence to show that kefir consumption has been associated with improvements in people suffering from diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies and autoimmune disorders.

The Taste

Blue Bay Kefir has the lovely dairy aroma of milk with a mild ‘tangy’ taste. Although slightly viscous it has a clean mouth feel and finishes smoothly. It has the length of flavour of the lightest curd cheese and a pleasing savoury sensation. When it hits the stomach it doesn’t cause the heaviness of having consumed milk (think drinking a milkshake or Big M). As kefir is a traditionally fermented, non-homogenised probiotic yoghurt product it just feels good.

About Blue Bay’s Kefir

Blue Bay Kefir is a traditionally fermented, non-homogenised probiotic yoghurt product that is an amazing source of probiotics. Blue Bay Kefir, from Mornington, Victoria is an Australian gold award-winning brand and is made from premium organic milk, has no added thickeners or preservatives and best of all it tastes divine!

Blue Bay has brought kefir into the 21st century by applying traditional techniques to modern equipment and standards and by using some of the best organic milk in the country. To make it, Blue Bay’s team gently and slowly heat milk to 65C to kill potential pathogens while retaining fat structure and enzymes. The milk is never homogenised. A mix of 12 strains of beneficial live cultures – good bacteria that consume the lactose in the milk and turn it into lactic acid – are then added. The lactic acid gives the kefir its clean taste and makes the proteins in the milk change their structure to form a net or matrix that captures the liquid and other nutrients in a lovely smooth thick texture. It’s a thorough process that takes 16 hours.

Long Shelf Life

When the kefir is bottled the unhomogenised butterfat rises to the top and solidifies, forming an airtight plug that stops the kefir from oxidising. It also protects flavour, nutritional value and extends shelf life. Blue Bay Kefir – with no added thickeners or preservatives – can last a good six weeks on the fridge shelf.

Artisan Cheesemaker Andre Kogurt

Melbourne food writer Richard Cornish recently caught up with artisan cheesemaker Andre Kogurt of Mornington, Victoria’s Blue Bay Cheese company; an interview that was long overdue. But learning to be patient in all things dairy it seems, is par for the course.

Cheesemaker Andre Kogut is a patient man. He spends a lot of time waiting. He waits hours for his milk to turn to curds. He waits weeks as the curds set in their hoops. He then waits years for his cheddar to slowly mature. ‘Good things can’t be rushed,’ says Andre with a warm smile. Born in The Ukraine countryside he learned to ferment milk into kefir (traditionally fermented, non-homogenised probiotic yoghurt product) and soft cheeses at his grandmother’s side. Fifteen years ago he started producing dairy products under the Blue Bay label making products familiar to him such as kefir. ‘Fermented products are now so popular but our family have been making them since before we can remember,’ he says. ‘We’ve always known the health benefits of live probiotic cultures. Not that my grandmother would use those words,’ he says with a laugh.

artisan cheesemaker Andre Kogurt of Mornington, Victoria’s Blue Bay Cheese

Andre is also a perfectionist in the best sense. He sources his milk from a single herd of dairy cows grazing in the green rolling hills of Gippsland. The farmer uses organic practices such as eschewing chemical fertilisers and pesticides, instead employing natural weed and insect control and spreading compost and manure, alternatives to super phosphate and ammonia nitrate on the pasture. The farmers are also well known for their humane animal husbandry such as not separating the calves from their mothers and not sending poddy calves to the abattoir. Andre appreciates the quality of the milk and pays the farmers properly.

When the milk arrives at his small factory, hidden in the back blocks of the small industrial park in the seaside town of Mornington on the Mornington Peninsula, he is there waiting. Like all cheesemakers he takes a sample of the milk testing it for fat, protein and other technical parameters. Andre also does something different. He takes a glass of the milk and smells and tastes it like a sommelier would wine. ‘Every season, every day the milk can be different,’ says Andre. ‘Some milk is better for cheese than for kefir.’

Andre agreed to take the excess seasonal milk from the farm. With this he makes great semi hard cooked-curd gouda style cheese and a rich creamy cheddar. The gouda has all the hallmarks of Dutch gouda with its firm pliable texture and lovely nutty caramel flavours. Aged for 6 months this is a cheese perfect for melting or adorning a cheese platter. Andre also makes a cheddar that is rich and creamy. Using vegetarian rennet and traditional Cheddar cultures he sets the milk and cuts the curds. The curds are milled and salted then hooped into a 6kg wheel. They are partially drained and then left to set for several weeks with constant turning before being sent to the cellar, where maturing for 2-3 years, they develop those rich floral and ‘cheesy’ aromas one expects in a cheddar. The texture is smooth and velvety, a more refined version of the Mersey Valley Cheddar style of cheese.

Andre was selling extensively to the big supermarkets but they were not playing fair. Instead he chooses to work with good food stores and selling direct to the public through his factory in Mornington and via farmers markets in and around Melbourne. ‘I love the contact with the general public,’ says Andre. ‘They give me so much feedback. They tell me what they like and don’t like about a product and we can make changes to adapt to what they want. It’s the same relationship with the farmer. I have constant contact with my primary producer and our end customers. It is complex. But it is so rewarding’

Breakfast Quark Recipe

Artisan dairy producer Andre Kogut, for the past 12 years, has been making premium organic cheeses at his Blue Bay dairy in Mornington, south of Melbourne. Products include the delicious and versatile European cottage style cheese Quark and (we think) one of the best-fermented foods in the nation: the health-giving fermented milk product Kefir.

Quark is a European naturally fermented cottage cheese that can be used in cheesecakes, baking, dips or simply spread on bread. Kefir is fermented milk and an amazing source of probiotics. Blue Bay Quark and Kefir from Mornington, Victoria are award-winning and made using family recipes that have been passed down through four generations.

Quark is one of the most nutritious and easily digested foods and is relatively low in fat. It contains valuable proteins, vitamins and minerals and is full of omega-3 fatty acids.

Because it is acidic kefir can be used in recipes where cultured buttermilk is called for. The lactic acid activates baking soda, making for fluffy pancakes and delicate crêpes.

Breakfast Quark

Serves 2-4

500g blue bay quark
Blue Bay European-style light sour cream, 2 tablespoons per plate
fresh blueberries, 5-8 per plate
Chunky loganberry and blueberry sauce (see recipe below) to garnish
Beechworth single origin honey, to drizzle

To Serve

Mix 125g of Blue Bay Quark with Blue Bay European-style light sour cream and spoon onto a serving plate. Top with blueberries, Chunky loganberry and blueberry sauce and a drizzle of honey.

Chunky Loganberry and Blueberry Sauce

Chunky Loganberry and Blueberry Sauce

500g fresh or frozen mixed berries; we used last season’s frozen loganberries and blueberries
Juice of half a lemon
4 tsp sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
10 2cm x 2mm strips of lemon zest
1 tbsp Chambord liqueur

Method

1. Place berries in a small saucepan on low heat to thaw and cook down for approximately 5 minutes.

2. Add the lemon juice, sugar, Chambord, nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon zest. Reduce heat and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes to infuse flavours.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.

In Love with Kefir

Blue Bay’s founder Andre Kogut is a gentle man with a generous smile and a burning passion for kefir. He has been producing one of the best-fermented yogurt products in the nation at Blue Bay Cheese in Mornington, about 60km south of Melbourne, for the past 12 years. It is only now, however, that the world is catching up to him.

Kefir is a traditionally fermented, non-homogenised yoghurt product and is an amazing source of probiotics – beneficial bugs that are great for your gut health. It is only in the past few years that the world has caught up with the benefits of this ancient way of preserving milk. Now, looking at global food trend reports, kefir is about to go the way of kale and coconut water. Andre is not fazed. ‘My grandmother drank kefir everyday,’ he says in his soft Ukrainian accent, ‘She worked hard every day until she died at 89. She was a fit woman right until the very end.’

Andre grew up in the Ukrainian countryside in the green valleys of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains. He learned to make kefir by his grandmother’s side. It was made in small batches from a small herd of hand-milked cows and sold or bartered to locals. ‘My grandmother would keep it cool by storing it in a jar that was kept in a basket and lowered by rope into the well water. She would consume it as part of a meal for breakfast,’ he remembers.

With this Andre shows us a sample of his just-fermented kefir. It has the lovely dairy aroma of milk with a mild ‘tangy’ taste. Although slightly viscous it has a clean mouth feel and finishes smoothly. It has the length of flavour of the lightest curd cheese and a pleasing savoury sensation. When it hits the stomach it doesn’t cause the heaviness of having consumed milk (think drinking a milkshake or Big M). As kefir is a traditionally fermented, non-homogenised probiotic yoghurt product, it just feels good.

That pleasing tang and softness on the tummy comes from the fermentation of quality milk. It is an ancient process that Andre has brought into the 21st century by applying traditional techniques to modern equipment and standards and by using some of the best organic milk in the country. This he gently and slowly heats to 65C to kill potential pathogens while retaining fat structure and enzymes. The milk is never homogenised. A mix of 12 strains of beneficial live cultures – good bacteria that consume the lactose in the milk and turn it into lactic acid – are then added. The lactic acid gives the kefir its clean taste and makes the proteins in the milk change their structure to form a net or matrix that captures the liquid and other nutrients in a lovely smooth thick texture. It’s a thorough process that takes 16 hours. When the kefir is bottled the unhomogenised butterfat rises to the top and solidifies, forming an airtight plug that stops the kefir from oxidising. It also protects flavour, nutritional value and extends shelf life. Blue Bay Kefir – with no added thickeners or preservatives – can last a good six weeks on the fridge shelf.

Blue Bay Kefir

No surprise, then, that Blue Bay Kefir – available around Victoria and across NSW – is becoming popular with consumers keen to improve their health. And more recently, it has more than doubled in sales within South East Queensland.

Andre has a small file of letters from customers who report their symptoms, including arthritis and asthma, improved after they made kefir part of a healthy diet. ‘My grandmother always said that kefir made you happy,’ says Andre. He reckons she was dead right. Modern science proves that good mental health is associated with a healthy gut.

While kefir is great to consume on its own daily, cooking and preparing food with kefir is also versatile and easy. Just store it upright in the fridge so the fat cap stays in place. Because it is acidic it can be used in recipes where cultured buttermilk is called for. The lactic acid activates baking soda, making for fluffy pancakes. It is perfect blended with ice and fruit – and perhaps a little honey – to make delicious yogurt-based desserts. Because it has a subtle savoury flavour it can also be folded through with some olive oil, salt and a little garlic and used as a side dish for salads and grilled meats, such as lamb.

‘Kefir is simply a way of life,’ says Andre. ‘It’s the healthiest way of having dairy in your diet for all the nutrients, almost zero lactose plus the probiotics that will keep your gut healthy. It has been keeping my family healthy and happy for scores of generations. And now we’re continuing the tradition in Australia.’

Quark Vareniki with Blue Bay Quark

Artisan dairy producer Andre Kogut, for the past 12 years, has been making premium organic cheeses at his Blue Bay dairy in Mornington, south of Melbourne. Products include the delicious and versatile European cottage style cheese Quark. Vareniki are classic Slavic dumplings, usually filled with quark or fresh curd cheese, berries, mashed potatoes or other meatless ingredients. They are half moon in shape and are typically made using a yeast-free dough. The following recipe is designed to work well with Andre’s wonderfully textured Quark.

Classic Vareniki Dough

Makes approximately 30-40 individual vareniki.

This recipe is for a fluffy yet slightly dense vareniki texture. To the bite they are slightly al dente, unless over boiled. For lighter, fluffier results you can add a little buttermilk or kefir (50ml); or baking soda (1 tsp).

200ml lukewarm water
1 egg
Pinch salt
4 cups plain flour, plus additional flour for kneading and rolling

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl add all ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon until a basic dough begins to form.

2. Turn out the dough mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Continue to knead for a further 12 minutes (20 in total), working the dough to stretch glutens well.

3. On your work surface cover the dough with the upturned bowl and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes. While the dough is resting prepare the quark filling for the centre of your vareniki.

Quark Filling

500g Blue Bay Quark
1 egg
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
Pinch salt

Method

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients well.

Vareniki folding

Vareniki Folding and Cooking Method

1. Divide the dough into four portions and roll each portion into 3cm-thick logs.

2. Next cut the logs into small 2cm pieces.

3. On a floured work surface press each dough piece by hand (or using a rolling pin) into small flat circles, approximately 8cm in diameter and 2-3mm in thickness – fine enough to be delicate when eaten, but strong enough for folding in the quark filling.

4. Place 1 teaspoon of quark filling in the centre of each circle of dough. Fold dough over into a half-moon shape and seal edges a little section at a time, twisting each join at 45 degrees with fingertips to make a floral pattern.

Continue until all of your dough and filling is used up, setting aside the completed vareniki on a wooden board. Note: Vareniki can be frozen at this stage for cooking later if desired.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Add the vareniki in batches and cook until they float to the surface, approximately 3 minutes, slightly longer if from frozen. Continue cooking for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the vareniki with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain well.

To Serve

Blue Bay European-style light sour cream
50g melted butter

Serve vareniki topped with melted butter and Blue Bay European-style light sour cream. Fresh berries and/or homemade jam can be added as an optional extra.

Syrniki: Sweet cheese fritters with Blue Bay Quark

Syrniki are Russian fried quark (cheese) pancakes that are traditionally garnished with light sour cream, varenye (jam), honey or apple sauce. The cheese mixture may contain raisins for extra flavour. Melbourne’s Blue Bay Dairy quark cheese is the perfect ingredient for making these quick-as-a-flash breakfast recipe gems. They’re simply delicious!

Syrniki (seer-nee-kee) Sweet Cheese Fritters

Makes 12-14 medium size pieces

250g Blue Bay Quark Cheese, or drained cottage cheese
2 eggs
pinch of salt
50g caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
½ tsp baking powder
100g plain flour, plus extra flour for dusting and rolling
100g unsalted butter for frying
fresh seasonal berries or other fruit jams and Blue Bay Kefir to serveicing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Place the cheese, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and vanilla bean paste into a large mixing bowl. Using a fork or spoon mix until well combined (no longer than 2-3 minutes). The mixture will be very sticky, however, don’t worry it is meant to be this way.

2. Using a soup spoon, scoop syrniki batter directly onto a clean and floured work surface. Then roll to coat with flour and flatten with your palm to form a patty. Repeat process with the remaining batter to make approximately 12-14 small patties.

3. Heat a nonstick or cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. A one third of the butter (per cooking batch) allowing it to melt in the pan. Before frying, make sure the butter is hot by sprinkling a little bit of flour into it; if it sizzles, it’s hot enough.

4. Cook the syrniki pieces in batches 4-5 patties, for 1–2 minutes or until golden, then turn over and cook for a further 1–2 minutes or until golden and slightly puffed. The flour coating will make the outside slightly crispy while the mostly cheese filling will taste light and delicious.

To Serve

Dust the syrniki pieces with icing sugar and serve with seasonal berries or your favourite jam with a generous spoonful of Blue Bay Kefir.

Kefir Crêpes with smoked salmon, pickled onion, sour cream and herbs

Crêpes are not as complex to make as one might think. These very thin and delicate French variations of the humble pancake can be quickly and easily poured, flipped and served. This recipe using kefir, a traditionally fermented, non-homogenised yoghurt product that’s an amazing source of probiotics, is now available in most supermarkets. It makes preparing the crêpes batter a cinch. Gluten free flour as an alternative also works well with this recipe.

Makes 16-20 crêpes

400ml Kefir (we preferKefir from Blue Bay dairy)
2 eggs
2 tbsp sugar
⅔ tsp salt
300g plain flour (or gluten free)
⅔ tsp baking soda
200ml hot water, just off the boil
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Raw organic coconut oil for frying
50-100g melted butter

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl add kefir, eggs, sugar and salt. With an electric mixer beat until well combined.

2. In a heatproof jug, add the hot water and baking soda together and mix well.

3. Immediately add water-baking soda mixture to the mixing bowl.

4. With the electric mixer set to a high speed, slowly add the flour a little at a time, mixing until a crêpe batter forms. The batter should be a thick, but pourable consistency. You can adjust the constancy of the batter using flour or warm water as required.

5. Set batter aside to rest for 5-10 minutes. Small bubbles should appear at the top of the mixture.

6. Add sunflower oil to the batter and mix well with the electric beater for a further 2-3 minutes prior to pan frying crêpes. Note: Batter can be refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 1 day; whisk before using.

7. Heat a 30cm nonstick crêpe pan or skillet over medium to high heat. Lightly coat with coconut oil and melt. Add one third of a cup, medium-sized ladleful of batter to the pan and swirl to completely cover bottom of pan. Cook until underside of crêpe is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Loosen edge of crêpe with a rubber spatula, then quickly flip. Cook for an additional minute. Slide crêpe out of pan and paint with melted butter and repeat with remaining batter. (Coat pan with additional coconut oil and melt as needed.)

Pickled Onion

1 white onion, finely sliced into rings
50ml water
Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl add water, lemon juice, sugar and salt; mix together well.

2. Add onion rings to the bowl and continue to stir making sure the onion is wet and covered.

3. Leave in a cool place to pickle for one hour.

4. Drain onion from pickling juice, reserving a little – approximately 20-30ml.

5. In a glass jar add the pickled onion rings, extra virgin olive oil and the reserved pickling juice.

6. Mix together well and refrigerate with lid on prior to serving.

To Serve

Hot smoked whole salmon fillet, broken into small chunks
Pickled onion
Dill sprigs
Finely chopped parsley
Blue Bay European-style light sour cream
Cracked black pepper and salt if desired.

For each crêpe, add a generous amount of smoked salmon chunks topped with pickled onion pieces, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of herbs.
Roll crêpe tightly and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and dill sprigs.

Season to taste.