Does your yogurt taste like plastic? Nikolas Trastelis’s yogurt doesn’t. His no-fat, premium Greek yogurt tastes like its pure ingredients—New York State, grass-fed cow’s milk, probiotic cultures and sweet, ripe fruits. Thanks to Kalypso Yogurt’s signature terra cotta pots (with re-useable lids), all of the yogurt’s good flavor is preserved.
Why terra cotta? While following traditional yogurt-making methods and recipes, fourth generation Greek yogurt maker Trastelis has also embraced using yogurt’s traditional serving pot. The glazed terra cotta interior is inert so it doesn’t affect the flavor of the yogurt. Kalypso is the only yogurt company in the U.S. using terra cotta right now. Their containers are airtight, so the freshness of the product is preserved. And eco-friendly. East Enders love these little pots of goodness. They line up for them every Saturday at the Sag Harbor Farmers Market.
Ultraviolet light, which can penetrate clear glass jars and HDPE plastic, degrades vitamins A and D and riboflavin. As well as radiating all live probiotics. That’s no small matter, considering almost half of American adults are vitamin D deficient. And, because dairy products are naturally acidic, they start to break down plastic, which then releases hormone-like chemicals that mimic estrogens into consumers’ bodies. This has been linked to all manner of disorders including breast cancer.
Kalypso Yogurt founder Trastelis says, “Many customers keep the terra cotta yogurt pots for food storage. Some local caterers use them to serve sauces and dips—because they’re attractive in a rustic table setting and easily transported. The pots are oven, freezer and microwave safe. [See recipe on page 46 for individual corn breads baked in these cute pots.] Some of our fans return their yogurt pots and we’ve started filling them with high-quality soy wax and crafting them into scented candles.” Scents include Fig Blossom, Blueberry Lavender, Lemon Anise, Peach Ginger, Toasted Coconut and Mandarin Orange. Trastelis adds, “I like to rotate what scents we’re doing to keep it interesting.”
The benefits of consuming Greek yogurt are widely known. Regularly eating an authentic Greek yogurt with live, active cultures supports healthy digestive and immune systems. It’s also a good source of protein and an excellent source of calcium. Plus Greek yogurt is low in sodium and carbohydrates. With Kalypso’s choice of flavors—black cherry, blueberry, coconut, fig, honey, mango, strawberry, Madagascar vanilla and whole-milk plain—Trastelis makes it easy to enjoy the good life. In fact, it’s all about “parea,” the relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle of good food and conversation, sun and community.
Trastelis promotes his products as “seductively delicious.” He explains that his business’s name and tag line were inspired by his extensive travel in the Greek Islands. While on an extended stay there, he was reminded of another odyssey—Homer’s. Kalypso, the daughter of Atlas, was a mystical character in The Odyssey, a seductive nymph who forcibly delayed Odysseus for several years from returning home to his family.
The Sag Harbor Farmers Market closes for the season this Saturday, October 29, so stock up! But rest assured that you can also purchase these little pots of Greek deliciousness at the Westhampton Beach Farmers Market through Saturday, November 19 and at the Babylon Village Farmers Market through Sunday, November 20, as well as from Cavaniola’s Gourmet in Sag Harbor year-round.
Individual Cranberry Corn Breads in Kalypso Yogurt Pots
By Stacy Dermont
Looking for a special, healthy dessert for autumn—or something to do with leftover cranberry sauce? You got it, courtesy of Sag Harbor Farmers Market vendors Kalypso Yogurt, Dale & Bette’s Farm and Amagansett Sea Salt Co.—tang meets sweet, meets a touch of crunch!
Yield: 5 generous servings
Can be doubled.
Special Equipment: 5 Kalypso yogurt cups or an 8” x 8” pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
additional flour for prepping pots
3/4 cup Dale & Bette’s cornmeal
1/3 cup Kalypso plain yogurt
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 local egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons local honey
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon Amagansett Sea Salt
additional butter for prepping pots
5 tablespoons cranberries from cranberry sauce or solid, canned cranberry sauce
In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, yogurt and milk. Cover and allow to rest for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Butter and flour the inside of the pots or pan.
In another medium bowl with fork, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
Stir melted butter into cornmeal mixture. Stir egg and honey into this mixture.
Add wet ingredients to dry all at once.
Stir just until moistened.
Cover bottom of pots (or pan) with about an inch of batter.
Add cranberries to center of each pot (or the pan).
Cover berries equally with remaining batter. (Ideally, no berries will be visible and none will be touching sides of vessel.)
Place pots on rack of oven and bake for 20 minutes. (If using a single pan, bake for 25 minutes.)
Serve warm or cold.
Easy Fresh Cranberry Sauce
By Stacy Dermont
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar (white or brown)
1 cinnamon stick
Rinse and pick over berries, removing any mushy berries. Combine water, sugar and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or cold. Makes 2 1/4 cups.
For an easy fresh cranberry sauce recipe, see an extended version of this article on DansPapers.com. For additional retail outlets and more information on Kalypso yogurt, visit kalypsoyogurt.com.
