The following recipe evolved as the result of a letter from Baking Sheet subscriber Pam McCorkle, whose Indian husband was desperate for a kind of yogurt cheese dessert he remembered from his childhood. Here it is, and it's delicious. We used yogurt made from organic whole milk, which created an exceptional result. You can certainly use a low- or no-fat milk instead.

3 to 4 cups yogurt
a large pinch of saffron, an amount that would loosely fill 1/2 teaspoon
2 tablespoons whey (left over from yogurt-cheese making)
1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar (we used unbleached sugar)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts (optional)
fresh raspberries or other fruit

Place the yogurt in a yogurt-cheese maker or in several layers of cheesecloth, cover, and let drain overnight in your refrigerator. A couple of hours before serving, take two tablespoons of the whey drained from the yogurt, drop in the saffron, heat just to boiling (a microwave is useful here) and let steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Both the heat and the acidity of the whey help leech out the saffron's color and flavor. (You can strain out the saffron stigmas if you wish or you can leave them in. They'll continue to exude their color and flavor in the yogurt cheese.) Transfer the yogurt cheese to a bowl, and stir in the sugar and saffron-infused whey. Scoop this into a serving bowl and serve sprinkled with the chopped pistachio nuts and liberal amounts of fresh raspberries.