Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The best of the berry: strawberry frozen yogurt


I promise to get off frozen desserts soon, but I’m having so much fun experimenting with all of the fresh fruit that’s in the market now, I have to slip one more recipe in.

I recently gave in and purchased David Lebovitz’s Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments cookbook. I usually limit the cookbooks I buy on a single topic because they don’t get enough play, but this one is going to be an exception: there are so many wonderful and refreshing sounding desserts in it that I am sure it will quickly become a regular in the rotation.

Strawberries are everywhere right now. We brought home a few pints of beautiful fresh picked ones from Long Island last weekend. Wanting to use them all up while they were at their freshest, I flipped through the Perfect Scoop for ideas. There were several great-sounding recipes: strawberry frozen yogurt, strawberry-sour ice cream, and strawberry granita, to name a few. I started with the frozen yogurt, and it was such a hit I went on to make the strawberry-sour ice cream the next day!

The frozen yogurt is particularly great because it only requires five ingredients (one of which is optional) and is made without cooking. No pots and pans to clean up and no custard to cook. The color of the frozen yogurt is a gorgeous hot pink, and the taste? Amazing, deep, fresh strawberry flavor that will make you swear off store-bought frozen yogurt forever.


Strawberry frozen yogurt (from the Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments by David Lebovitz)
(makes about 1 quart)

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vodka or kirsch (optional)
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Slice the strawberries into small pieces. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch, if using, stirring until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring every so often.

Puree the strawberries and their liquid with the yogurt and lemon juice in a blender or food processor until smooth. If you wish, press the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds.

Refrigerate for 1 hour then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely photo! What a great way to make use of the strawberry bounty!

Finla said...

I made strawberry ice cream few days ago, still have to post it.But then with cream.
I am so going to make this with youghurt. As it looks delicious and healthy

Y said...

When I do get myself an ice cream machine, that book has got to be my first purchase! I love strawberry yogurt sorbet - one of my favourite flavours. Yours looks amazing.

Cannelle Et Vanille said...

i love the whole pink vib here sabra... stunning!

Patricia Scarpin said...

That is a wonderful way of having fruit. :)

Meeta K. Wolff said...

i love the perfect scoop - so good on you for getting it. Lovely pics and a lovely creamy ice-cream. That's what I#ll be making with the next batch of strawberries.

Simones Kitchen said...

That must have been some lovely icecream Sabra... But I am really waiting for the next recipe..lol... In the meantime I might actually try this one out too. If there were only more hours in the day...

Helene said...

I meant to come here last night but I got distracted by the rest of your pictures. I don't know what I like best, the frozen yogurt (which is delicious) or the perfectly shaped strawberries...that last picture is just per-fect!
P.S: thank you for your support after the mini-drama. I am not one to add fuel to the fire but idiots need to be told to leave.

My Sweet & Saucy said...

This looks heavenly! I have been addicted to his book too!

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious! You know they're something special when you can buy strawberries with the stems still on — I don't think I've ever seen that here.

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