The Yogurt of Legends

Since our three week vacation to Europe last year, I have been thinking about, tasting for, and shopping for yogurt that fit the bill of the Danes or the French or the Icelandic peoples. The yogurt in Denmark was my favorite: much more runny than ours, much less sugary than ours, a pleasant tartness and a full taste that always made me want more. The French yogurt was less tart, but again smoother and creamier with much less sugar than that of which you can find here in the grocery store. The Icelandic yogurt, very different from either the Danish or the French, is a type of cheese but it was excellent. Custard-style and thick but again a pleasant tartness and a wonderful texture.

Anyways, I have not been able to recreate my yogurt experience since returning to the U.S. I have looked at Ikea, specialty European food stores, Co-ops and high-end grocery stores to no avail. I have played around in my mind with trying to make my own, but have never quite had the confidence or good directions... Today the New York Times changed all that:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/dining/15curi.html?em

Now I just need to find someone with a yogurt starter, a really good liquid thermometer, and some patience. Then maybe I can spend more time eating yogurt again instead of dreaming about the good stuff I used to eat once upon a time on my European vacation.