Salt & Straw’s Upcycled Foods Series Flavor: Lemon Curd & Whey

Fro-yo girl here. Salt & Straw’s limited edition flavors for June feature upcycled foods. One flavor caught our eye because it’s not froyo but it’s close. Lemon Curd & Whey is described as a gelato with a tart and tangy lemon curd. Whey is a liquid byproduct of strained yogurt and it’s rich in live probiotics and calcium.

Lemon Curd & Whey: Lemon Curd & Whey gelato is made with Spare Food Co’s lemon & ginger tonic. The tonic is made with whey. There were two textures – a thicker, creamier gelato and the icier, lighter lemon curd swirl. The lemon curd was tangy but not that tangy. The ice cream/gelato seemed less sweet than usual. The texture was more like ice cream than gelato and it had a sweet cream aftertaste. While the gelato was good, I wanted more lemon and ginger flavor. I thought it might taste like froyo but it didn’t.

Lemon Curd & Whey is the third froyo or froyo-related flavor created by Salt & Straw.

In January 2018, Salt & Straw introduced two Faux-Yo flavors, Candied Mango and Candied Apricot as part of their Veganuary flavor series. Faux-Yo was made with coconut cream.

In July 2021, Salt & Straw finally introduced a true froyo, Besharam’s Yogurt Lassi with Raspberries. I bought a few pints!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

White Moustache Whey Tonic & Labneh Review

Fro-yo girl here. One of the byproducts of strained yogurt is whey. Greek yogurt manufacturers have been paying people to take their whey. White Moustache makes small batch yogurt by hand and they found a creative way to use whey – probiotic tonics and pops (frozen popsicles). I spotted their whey tonics at Eataly in Los Angeles. They had two flavors, pineapple and passionfruit. One 16 oz bottle was $4.80. That makes it cheaper than cold pressed juice and comparable to kombucha. The heavy glass bottle was very nice. It reminded me of cold pressed juice.

White Moustache whey tonics come in the following flavors: plain, ginger, honey lime, passion fruit and pineapple flavor.

* Passion fruit whey tonic: It was light, tangy, and not too sweet. I couldn’t taste yogurt but I could taste the passion fruit. The tonic was lighter than pure juice. Mr. Froyo liked how it was refreshing and balanced. It was sour but not overwhelmingly so.

Ingredients: Yogurt whey, passion fruit juice, pear juice. The whey has live and active cultures. They’re supposed to help with digestion.

One serving (8 oz) is 90 calories, 20 g of sugar, 0 g fat.

Kombucha has a more distinctive taste than yogurt whey and has much less sugar.

I actually tried and reviewed a yogurt whey drink called Drinkwell Softers in 2013: https://froyogirl.blogspot.com/2013/10/drinkwell-softers-review.html

White Moustache also makes whole milk labneh which is strained yogurt. It comes in three flavors: Plain, Shankleesh, and Kurdish. An 8 oz tub is $9.80. 

Shankleesh labneh has aleppo pepper and za'atar, the spice blend that typically has sesame seeds, thyme, sumac, and salt. It's really good - thick, creamy, a little spicy, tangy, and zesty. And it's divine with crisp Persian cucumbers. But is it that much better than the Golden Plate labneh that's imported from Cyprus and just $150 for 17.6 oz.? I don't think so.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

White Moustache Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. I remember hearing about White Moustache Yogurt years ago but it was only sold in New York, so I didn’t think that I could easily try it. White Moustache Yogurt was founded by Homa Dashtaki and her father when they lived in Southern California and sold Persian yogurt at farmers markets. The family left California because regulations made it nearly impossible for them to legally sell yogurt. They settled in Brooklyn in 2013 and gained a following for their handmade, small batch yogurt made using Persian techniques and no machines. But regulations said that the yogurt could only be sold in New York.

Then Eataly opened in Los Angeles. They started carrying White Moustache Yogurt. How? By making it on site (at Eataly) in Los Angeles. I’m not sure who makes the yogurt in Brooklyn now (probably family members and/ or employees) but Homa Dashtaki has returned to LA. It sounds like the freshest yogurt that I can get on the market. It doesn’t even have to be delivered.

They make Persian yogurt, Greek yogurt, probiotic whey tonics, Kurdish labneh, and probiotic pops.

What is Persian style yogurt? It’s not strained, so it isn’t as thick as Greek yogurt. White Moustache says “it has a saucy consistency perfect for eating with sweet or savory preparations” while Greek yogurt is “smooth and creamy thick, sweet yogurt.” The yogurt is $7.80 (no tax is added).

Yogurt flavors:

• Plain
• Orange blossom honey and walnuts 
• Sour cherry 
• Dates 

Some of the yogurt flavors like Summer Peaches, Quince, and King Mulberry are seasonal. Mulberry is in season right now.

The yogurt they make in New York is made with fresh whole milk from Hudson Valley Fresh, a dairy farmer partnership in NY. The yogurt they make in California is made with local Straus Creamery milk. The label says that the yogurt is made with“farm fresh milk, live cultures, and endless patience. Each jar is handmade and hand packed.”

* Sour cherry Greek yogurt: Sour cherry is one of my favorite flavors, so I had to get it. The yogurt is not blended. No nutritional information is provided. The ingredients are: cultured whole milk (pasteurized), compote (sour cherry, sugar). Very simple. The yogurt is thick, creamy and very smooth – it’s not heavy though it tastes a little like cream. The velvety smoothness is what really struck me. The flavor was sour since no sugar was added to yogurt itself. The compote had lots of cherry juice and quite a few whole cherries. The cherries were sweet, the juice was sweet but once mixed, the yogurt was pleasantly, mildly tangy. The cherries with the lightly sweetened yogurt were fantastic. At 8 oz it’s larger than the usual tub of yogurt (the typical size is 5 oz) and you get to keep the glass jar. It’s Noosa sized and that’s usually good enough for two servings for me. The plastic lid on top can easily be put back on for storage.

Get some! Get a few jars! The labneh with aleppo pepper and za'atar is calling my name.

5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl. 

* WHITE MOUSTACHE YOGURT AT EATALY: 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles (Century City), CA 90067

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Drinkwell Softers Review

Fro-yo girl here. Drinkwell Softers uses St. Benoit’s organic yogurt whey and fruits and/or aromatics from the farm to create its delicious, tangy fermented healthier carbonated beverages. These soft drinks are locally made, all natural, fresh, organic and probiotic. I spotted their drinks at Canyon Market. The flavors change with the seasons but during my visit they had three very interesting flavors: Rosemary, Rose Geranium, Lavender

* Rose geranium softers: The drink is very crisp, light and refreshing with a fruity quality to it. It’s naturally carbonated, lightly sweetened, smells like roses, and pretty tangy but it doesn’t taste like yogurt

An 8.5 ounce bottle of Drinkwell Softers is $1.99 +$1.50 bottle deposit. One serving is 41 calories.

Drinkwell Softers can be found at San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market on Saturdays at the Eatwell Farm stand.

4.5 out of 5 stars

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.