49. strawberry frozen yogurt
happy birthday Rishi
I love strawberries but they are very difficult to find in Mombasa. I remember the days when big juicy strawberries were available in the shops and markets on a very regular basis. At that time my favourite and very easy dessert to prepare was strawberries with fresh cream. 2 days ago I found a punnet of strawberries at the market in Mombasa after eons and I just grabbed it. Didn’t even bother to ask the price. Of course very soon I realised I have paid a lot of money for about a cup and a half of strawberries. Didn’t want to make an easy dessert with it, but what could I make? Going through my recipe book I came across the recipe for frozen yogurt and made up my mind to try it out. The worst that can happen if the recipe failed is I would be left with flavoured yogurt. I am glad to say the recipe turned out very well. It could have been better if I had an ice cream maker but after de- crystallising it thrice, there were hardly any crystals in it. I will definitely try this recipe again with other fruits and yes when I can buy strawberries again. Rishi, this is what we had to celebrate your birthday.
STRAWBERRY FROZEN YOGURT
Yields 6 scoops
1½ cups of washed, hulled and chopped strawberries
1 cup of thick yogurt
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
- Puree the strawberries in a food processor or liquidiser.
- Add the yogurt, lemon juice and sugar to the strawberries. Process it briefly till everything is mixed well.
- Pour the mixture into a tray or a tin. The layer should not be more than 2 inches thick.
- Cover the container and put it in the freezer.
- When it is semi solid, whisk the mixture to break up the crystals. Or break the crystals using a fork.
- Repeat the procedure twice. Freeze it overnight.
- Leave the frozen yogurt out at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften it a bit before serving.
- Use other berries when available.
- Add finely chopped fresh mint to the yogurt mixture.
- I used an old ice cream box. Ideal because the lids shut tight onto the container.
- Can make lollies in a lolly maker if you like.
- I took 500ml of yogurt and drained out the excess water to get 1 cup of thick yogurt. Place a clean kitchen towel or handkerchief over a sieve. Place the yogurt into it. Put the sieve over a bowl and let the yogurt stand for about half an hour for the excess water to drain out.
- If you use greek style yogurt then there is no need to drain it.
