Alternative Treats

With all this talk of raspberry yogurt pops and vegan strawberry ice cream, I got thinking I need to give some alternative frozen treats a spin. My standard ice cream is a vanilla-flavored Philadelphia-style base which requires nothing more than warming some cream with sugar and a vanilla bean. Since there's no custard to make, and no eggs to temper, the mixture is ready to chill in minutes and ready to freeze not long after.



Although vanilla is delicious, and goes with practically every dessert, reading Molly's and David's posts gave me a craving for a berry treat. It is possible that due to my pregnancy I'm easily persuaded right now to make anything sweet and frozen. Regardless, on the counter there was a half flat of berries we picked up at the Proctor Farmers Market Saturday that I knew would work perfectly.

Now, let me preface this by saying I have never been a huge fan of frozen yogurt, especially the hard-serve kind, but after extracting my usual ice cream-making sample directly from the canister towards the end of processing, I knew I would have to convert. Let's be clear: this is not a broad conversion by any means, just that I will eat any frozen yogurt recipe that David Lebovitz produces. His yogurt is made with blueberries, and although there were some in the flat, I chose to go with his raspberry variation. My yogurt base was a raspberry-blackberry combination and let me assure you the mixture did not disappoint.



In terms of ice cream makers, I've used a single model for years which my mom gave me one Thanksgiving when I had decided it was imperative cranberry sorbet be part of my holiday menu. (I'm so wise to want to draft a menu with items for which I don't have the proper kitchen equipment.) It turned out to be an excellent gift. On many occasions since then, I've enjoyed the ice cream maker as well as that all important sorbet, and in the past month alone I've made my favorite vanilla twice, tried a fennel custard from Olaiya via Molly, and, most recently, the yogurt. I'd say that's not a bad run seeing the Puget Sound can only claim a handful of days with temperatures high enough to respectably call themselves summer.

Mixed Berry Frozen Yogurt
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 cup blackberries
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup whole milk yogurt
3/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons raspberry liquor such as framboise

Puree the berries, yogurt, sugar, juice and liquor in the food processor until smooth
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl
Chill for 1 hour
Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions
Spoon into a quart-size container and press plastic wrap directly on top
Freeze for about a week or so

Vanilla Ice Cream
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties

Although I've always made this with all cream, the Philadelphia-style vanilla ice cream in The Perfect Scoop recommends using a third whole milk, which I'll try next time.

Ingredients
3 cups heavy cream
2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

Heat the cream, sugar, vanilla, and vanilla seeds in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture no longer feels gritty
Strain the mixture through a sieve and chill well
Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions
Spoon into a quart-size container and press plastic wrap directly on top
Freeze for about a week or so