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Frozen Berry and Yogurt Dessert


Shel_B

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Here's a little recipe I've been playing with:

1 cup low fat Greek yogurt

3 cups frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)

3 Tbs granulated sugar

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Put yogurt, sugar, and extract into blender. Let berries defrost a bit so they are somewhat soft. Blend by pulsing until almost smooth. Freeze, covered, for a couple-three hours.

Now, I'm satisfied with the flavor, but the mixture is a scosh icy. How might I get a somewhat less icy and smoother texture? Would a finer sugar be of any help, like superfine or castor sugar?

Also, the small seeds from the berries are a bit of a bother. What's the best way to get rid of them? Food mill? Run softened berries through a sieve or strainer? Thanks for any suggestions.

 ... Shel


 

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Run the puree through a sieve before freezing.

More sugar.

Add a bit (like 2 T) of alcohol. Vodka works. Or a complimentary brandy, eau-de-vie or liqueur.

What does more sugar do, besides making the dessert sweeter? What does the alcohol do?

 ... Shel


 

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Churning or stirring periodically to keep the ice crystals shorter.

Food mill for the seeds.

Mmmmm, it sounds really good. And easy!

Thanks. I tried a second batch late last night with some additional stirring, and the result does seem a little smoother. Will try some of weinoo's suggestions as well, in addition to more stirring. I'm pretty close on this one. It just needs a little more tweaking.

 ... Shel


 

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Run the puree through a sieve before freezing.

More sugar.

Add a bit (like 2 T) of alcohol. Vodka works. Or a complimentary brandy, eau-de-vie or liqueur.

What does more sugar do, besides making the dessert sweeter? What does the alcohol do?

Both sugar and alcohol affect the freezing temperature, so if what you meant by "icy" is that your dessert freezes too hard, adding either will make it softer.

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  • 1 month later...

Shel_B, how did you make out with this?

A little more sugar helped quite a bit. It's so easy and tasty ...

So is that all you did? Did you add any alcohol? Strain out the seeds? How much sugar do you now use? I'd like to try this.

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Shel_B, how did you make out with this?

A little more sugar helped quite a bit. It's so easy and tasty ...

So is that all you did? Did you add any alcohol? Strain out the seeds? How much sugar do you now use? I'd like to try this.

I bumped the sugar up to 5 Tbs, stirred a little more often. I didn't add any alcohol, but I will try that as soon as I get some - thinking of kirsch. Didn't strain because I wanted some chunks of fruit in the dessert, so I decided to live with the seeds until I can find a good way to get the result I want. As for the sugar, you really need to taste the result as different fruits are going to have different levels of sweetness. Although I used five Tbs of sugar, six may be fine for some people.

I was thinking a little hit of lemon juice might be nice, but I've not tried that yet. I received a gift of some vanilla beans, and the next time I try this I may add beans rather than vanilla extract.

 ... Shel


 

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Shel_B, how did you make out with this?

A little more sugar helped quite a bit. It's so easy and tasty ...

So is that all you did? Did you add any alcohol? Strain out the seeds? How much sugar do you now use? I'd like to try this.

I bumped the sugar up to 5 Tbs, stirred a little more often. I didn't add any alcohol, but I will try that as soon as I get some - thinking of kirsch. Didn't strain because I wanted some chunks of fruit in the dessert, so I decided to live with the seeds until I can find a good way to get the result I want. As for the sugar, you really need to taste the result as different fruits are going to have different levels of sweetness. Although I used five Tbs of sugar, six may be fine for some people.

I was thinking a little hit of lemon juice might be nice, but I've not tried that yet. I received a gift of some vanilla beans, and the next time I try this I may add beans rather than vanilla extract.

Thanks, Shel_B. I will try this out.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Shel, try Nassau Royal liqueur if you can find it; that'll solve the vanilla problem AND the alcohol question at the same time!

Well, now, there's a thought! I just checked and have a whole bottle that I had forgotten about!

Edited by ElsieD (log)
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  • 11 months later...
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