Frozen Greek Blueberry Yogurt

The last time I used my ice-cream maker, our peaches were in season. That was almost three seasons ago! I had grand plans of using it all the time, but just never did. It's a terrific appliance and a very nice addition to my kitchen, so last night I decided to call it back to duty, this time for frozen blueberry yogurt. This recipe couldn't be simpler. I used my favorite, Cabot Vanilla Bean Yogurt, along with a quick blueberry sauce that came together in a few minutes on the stove. This frozen yogurt has a texture somewhere between an ice cream and an ice - it's frozen solid coming out of the freezer and needs to sit for about 10-15 minutes at room temperature for easy scooping, but it's cold, refreshing, with that yogurt "tang" that I love. It's your favorite yogurt, only frozen. It is like soft-serve coming out of the ice cream machine, and I think that's the perfect time to eat it! Whether you have it soft-serve-style or frozen through, it's a great way to eat yogurt.

The idea is to use the ice cream maker for healthier desserts, because, as much as we "all scream for ice cream," that's no longer an option for me. There's no reason my ice cream maker should sit idle when it it can help to make life a little cooler right now, and a lot cooler this coming summer!

FROZEN GREEK BLUEBERRY YOGURT

Blueberry sauce:
1 cup water
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
sweetener to taste (1/2 up sugar or substitute to equal sweetness of 1/2 cup sugar)
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Bring water to boil. Add blueberries and sweetener and bring to boil again.  Add dissolved cornstarch and reduce heat. Simmer on low heat until nicely thickened, like a thick pudding (just takes a minute or two). Remove from heat and stir in extract.  Let cool.

2 lbs. low-fat Greek vanilla yogurt  (I use Cabot Vanilla Bean)


While blueberry sauce cools, add yogurt to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Half-way through, add a couple tablespoons of the blueberry sauce (saving the rest for folding in at the end.) Mine froze in just 14 minutes, so watch to see when it seems done and turn it off.

Spoon frozen yogurt (still fairly soft) into freezer-safe container and fold in as much of the blueberry sauce as you like, saving the rest for pancakes or another use.

Freeze for a few hours or overnight.

To serve, remove from freezer and allow to soften for 10-15 minutes before dishing out.  Serve with some of that warmed-up blueberry sauce!

In search of the perfect vanilla yogurt

I was a yogurt eater in 1971 when most people looked at me like I was crazy. I bought a Swiss-style yogurt then, and enjoyed it. Over the years, yogurt choices have improved and I’ve gone through phases. There was a time when Yoplait Custard Style was an exclusive favorite, until I discovered I could have had a dish of ice cream for the same calories! Then I switched to other low-fat, non-fat, artificially sweetened yogurts, only to give those up because I don’t care for the overly-sweet taste and the artificiality of it all. I just want to find one good, thick, creamy, naturally sweetened vanilla yogurt that I can toss with some berries and a good granola and be happy. Is that too much to ask?

To that end, I have tested some previously un-tried yogurts, and the search continues. It’s a consistency thing with me. I don’t like anything that resembles curdles (blech). No whey! I want something smooth, shiny, and almost scoop-able. Recent taste trials included Stonyfield Farm Vanilla (nope) and Brown Cow Vanilla (OK, still not there). At my brother Danny’s recommendation, I looked for something called Aussie, couldn’t find it, and found Wallaby instead – could that be what he meant? Well, the taste was fine, nice vanilla flavor, but the consistency was more like yogurt soup. Not buying that one again.

I used to strain plain or vanilla yogurt to make “yogurt cheese” as a cream cheese substitute in low-fat cheesecake recipes, or as a sour cream replacement for dips or baked potatoes. I’d take a large container of yogurt and strain it overnight in a colander lined with coffee filters. The bowl was placed in the refrigerator and the top of the colander and bowl were covered in saran wrap. The next morning the yogurt had the consistency of a soft cream cheese, ready for whatever recipe I had in mind. I never thought once about just eating it that way. I’m realizing now that a strained vanilla yogurt, Greek style, might be just what I’m looking for. I’ll give that a try and keep you posted!

Photo credit: http://img.timeinc.net/recipes/i/recipes/hl/van-lemon-berry-parfait-hl-1193349-x.jpg