Blueberry Fro Yo (Frozen Yogurt)

I am not sure where I first saw Fro yo, but I do remember hoping on to David Lebovitz's site long time ago to understand the basics of ice cream making at home. Nevertheless, he did inspired me to make ice cream after drooling over those gorgeous treats on his website to revive my long lost desire to make ice cream at home.

Being an Indian, yogurt comes as an inseparable part of our daily meals. Our beloved yogurt is mostly set at home using fresh milk. Yogurt in dessert may not be as common, but not so uncommon too. Off late, flavored yogurt, which is a fairly new thing is scoring in Indian markets and many people, including me have been buying couple of them from our neighboring outlet which has a host of brands and flavors. There's nothing strikingly different about flavored yogurt since I find them in close association to our very own Indian dessert, Srikhand when it comes to flavors and texture. Yeah, almost.

While we have pro-biotic ice creams, I am not sure why the frozen yogurt (frozen yogurt is different from flavored yogurt) concept hasn't evolved yet in India. We hardly find them anywhere in stores here, atleast I have never come across any. Do hope we soon have companies coming up with this concept, terming it tasty and healthier than ice-creams.

On a trip back home to India, my brother in law was kind enough to get a tin of blueberries which is not an Indian fruit, nor available anywhere here. I am glad to experiment this Blueberry Fro Yo or Frozen yogurt, which is a refreshing, tangy dessert that combines the flavors and textures of ice cream and sherbet. It is slightly more tart than ice cream, as well as lower in fat (due to the use of pure milk yogurt instead of cream).

Blueberry Fro Yo

INGREDIENTS

1 cup thick hung yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

Transfer the blueberries and their juice to a blender. Add the yogurt and rest of the ingredients and blend until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous. Keep a handful of blueberries aside if you like those fruity bites in the fro yo. Since I used frozen berries, my best option was to blend them all till smooth. You may also add in a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, however since my yogurt was mature and tangy I did not add any.

Transfer to an air tight container and chill for an hour. If you own an ice cream maker, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Else, remove from freezer and beat the fro yo to reduce crystallization. Use a hand blender or a fork to beat it vigorously. Freeze again for another 30-40 mins. As it begins to set, beat it again to break all the ice crystals. Repeat a couple of times. This can be a tedious task, but this is what results in a smoother fro yo. When ready to serve, remove and allow it to sit for 2-3 mins and scoop to serve.

Mine did have a bit of crystallization which you can notice in the picture, owing to the fact that my hung yogurt did have considerable amount of water content in it. I just let it hang for 30 mins and went off with the recipe. Probably a real thick yogurt in which the water is allowed to drain off for a few hours may result in a more creamier, less crystallized dessert. It had a texture like ice cream with candy like feel which we totally loved, light and healthy :)

It's best to serve this dessert fresh, within a day. Homemade ice creams and frozen yogurt do not stay well for long. It is important to cover the yogurt with cling film or freeze it in an air tight container, so that other flavors avoid getting into the dessert. Top with fresh berries or berry sauce before serving if you like. Very tart, damn refreshing! Enjoy!