Recipe Index

Sweets | Lemon & Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Posted on June 9, 2013

Jeni's ice creams are always really good. This time I tried a frozen yogurt, it was creamy and super yummy.

Yield: 2 pints / 1 quart

lemon & blueberry frozen yogurt

Ingredients

FROZEN YOGURT BASE

1 quart plain low-fat yogurt

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

zest from 1 lemon

LEMON SYRUP

2 to 3 lemons

3 tablespoons sugar

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

1 1/2 cups blueberries

3/4 cup sugar

 

Method

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Mix the blueberries and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occassionally, until the berries are tender and the sauce is thickened about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then refrigerate until cold before using.

LEMON & BLUEBERRY FROZEN YOGURT

ADVANCE PREP

For the frozen yogurt base:

Fit a sieve over a bowl and line it with two layers of cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt into the sieve, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours to drain. Discard the liquid, and measure out 1 1/4 cups of the drained yogurt; set aside.

PREP

For the lemon syrup:

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest in large strips from 1 lemon; reserve for the frozen yogurt (leave the lemon zest in large strips so it's easier to strain out later). Juice enough of the lemons to make 1/2 cup.

Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool.

For the frozen yogurt base:

Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.

Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. (I couldn't get this to whisk, I smashed it with a wooden spoon instead.)

Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and lemon zest in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

CHILL

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the reserved 1 1/4 cups yogurt and the lemon syrup and whisk until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE

Remove the zest from the frozen yogurt base. (The yogurt base was too thick to strain out the zest, I suggest you do it prior to chilling phase.) Pour into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

As you pack the frozen yogurt into storage containers, alternate it with layers of blueberry sauce. Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

 

(Ref. "Lemon Frozen Yogurt" and "Blueberry Sauce" recipes, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home page 46 and page 196.)