Greek Yogurt Sauce for Gyro
I designed this recipe for a Greek Yogurt Sauce for Gyro sandwich. I didn’t want this sauce to have too much going on with the flavors and textures, but to add a herbal element with a creamy slight tang to complement the Homemade Gyro Meat, Greek Salad Recipe on a Homemade Pita Beer Bread. Let me explain how I created this recipe.
Researching many Greek recipes, I didn’t want this sauce to imitate a tzatziki sauce, rather have some of the herbal elements along with the slight tang from the yogurt and the addition of lemon juice and zest. Leaving out the grated cucumber left the sauce with the right amount of flavor, without being too heavy. Since this Greek Yogurt Sauce for Gyro was also going to be accompanied with a Greek salad, that has cucumbers, tomatoes, fennel, red onions and tossed in its own beer vinaigrette, this sauce needed to be able to stand up to the bold flavors, while having that Mediterranean Beer Cuisine sophistication.
To give this recipe its base, using a high-quality yogurt is key. I am a huge fan of Straus Family Creamery. They make an organic Greek style, whole milk, plain yogurt that is very special. The texture is very thick, due to their blend of bacteria that set the milk as it is cultured. Their list of ingredients shows a different vision: pasteurized organic whole milk, organic sweet cream buttermilk, living yogurt cultures: l. acidophilus, l. bulgaricus, s. thermophilus, and bifidobacterium lactis. Using an ultra-rich product like this sets a stage for this sauce. To make it even thicker, you can take a fine sieve, placed over a bowl, and add the yogurt to it, placed into the refrigerator overnight to strain, leaving behind some of the whey, making an almost yogurt cheese.
To add a touch of umami and garlic, I use my White Miso Malt Vinegar Mayonnaise, that when combined with the Greek yogurt creates the perfect texture and right amount of richness. The sauce is further enhanced with herbal notes from Italian leaf parsley, mint, fennel fond, along with an extra clove of minced garlic.
To modify the tang, I also add lemon juice and the zest, with some fruity extra virgin olive oil, some salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. When all blended together, the results are perfect when added to a The Ultimate Gyro Sandwich, used as a dip for a vegetable crudités platter or as a salad dressing.
Serves: 8 guests
Adapted from BeerAdvocate Magazine: Cuisine à la Bière | Jul 2014 | Issue #90
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 1 1/4 cup | 5 minute |
| Passive Time |
| 1 hour |
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This Greek Yogurt Sauce for Gyro is scented with parsley, mint, fennel fond, lemon, and garlic while being rich and creamy from Greek-style yogurt and White Miso Malt Vinegar Mayonnaise.
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- 3/4 cup yogurt, Greek Style, whole milk, plain such as
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise, White Miso Malt Vinegar recipe HERE
- 1 each garlic, clove, fresh peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon, Meyer, zest
- 2 tablespoon lemon, Meyer, juice
- 1 tablespoon oil, olive, extra virgin,
- 1 tablespoon parsley, Italian leaf washed, stems removed and minced
- 1 tablespoon mint, leaves, washed, stems removed and minced
- 1 tablespoon fennel, frond, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher
- 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns, black freshly cracked
- In a bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt along with White Miso Malt Vinegar Mayonnaise, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, mint, fennel frond, salt and pepper. This sauce can be made in advance and will keep in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
- Alternatively, to make a thicker sauce, strain the yogurt (any variety) before mixing in the other ingredients. Start by placing a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Add the yogurt, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1–6 hours. The longer it sits, the more whey will drip into the bowl, turning the slightly runny yogurt into a yogurt-like cheese.
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