Vanilla and Lime Frozen Yogurt

If there is one weakness that I find hard to control is the frequent urge to dig my face into a tub of ice-cream, and let me tell you  chocolate is not the flavour of my choice. Instead I love the wonderful array of Indian flavours that the local ice-cream manufacturers offer the mango,  rajbhog, anjeer, sitaphal, kesar-pista, roasted almond, thandai and countless other indigenous flavours..

But when you are controlling the sugar intake and trying to remain healthy weight such indulgences have to  become rare occurrences. And yet there is this heart that keeps yearning for unlimited portions of the ultimate frozen dessert.  For quite some time I had been toying with the idea of making my own frozen yogurt because these days I am in the mode of making everything at home. All foods, breads, drinks, desserts we eat. Everything. It is taxing but that way I get to control the oil and sugar, use the organic products I love and feed myself and the family well. So the Frozen Yogurt had to happen. I have turned to Googlelopedia for general guidelines for making Frozen-Yogurt at home. But since I have been making my own ice-creams for many years now  making this Frozen Yogurt was not much of a challenge. The creamy kind is best achieved using an ice-cream maker is what I have understood. Sans the ice-cream maker all we need to work on is try making it as ice-crysrtal free as possible. That does require some efforts  and long freezing time. And the measures to be taken for that are mentioned along with the recipe. Honestly,  the end result is quite wholesome dessert unlike the fairly and fluffy fro-yo that we get to eat at the outlets. Lime is our favourite flavour so I could not stop myself from adding lime zest in this dessert. You may omit it if you find it difficult to zest lemon or lime using the normal grater at home. Because one does need a micro-pane  zester to efficiently zest the citrus skins.

I love Dates (a fact that is much evident  on this blog 🙂 ) and the Date Syrup I made was essentially to top this dessert. You may choose your own toppings. Also the humidity and heat in this part of the world hasn’t allowed me to take decent pictures of the dolloped Frozen Yogurt. I tried my best but the melting was much faster than my composition speed!! I will try to upload better pictures on I manage to capture few decent ones. For now kindly enjoy these pictures!!

Lets freeze!!!

Vanilla and Lime Frozen Yogurt (freezer method) 

Serves -3

Ingredients

• 1 cup hung yogurt (this would be completely free of any water)
• 1 cup very thick yogurt
• 1/3 rd cup + 2 tablespoon caster sugar
• 3/4 cup cream ( I have used Amul)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

Method

1. Before we begin making the Frozen Yogurt, a few tips to get the end result as much ice crystal free as possible. Thick yogurt and hung yogurt  are mandatory. The water in the yogurt will result into crystallisation and you’ll be left with icy fro-yo. Sugar also plays important role in preventing formation of ice-crystals in frozen desserts. Substituting it with other sweeteners  like honey or agave will taste good but the texture will be different.
2. If you make yogurt at home ( as I do) and don’t use full cream milk try draining as much water possible for thick yogurt. Preferably for an hour of so. You may use Amul’s Masti Dahi or similar kind for more uniform result.
3. Instead of stirring the sugar all the way, I normally allow the sugar to sit in the yogurt for an hour or two. It will dissolve well  by the this time.
4. Since we are making the Frozen yogurt without ice-cream maker try to freeze and blend the mixture a couple of times. This process helps in the dessert setting to a smoother and creamier consistency.
5. To  begin making the Frozen Yogurt start with bringing the hung yogurt, thick yogurt, cream, sugar in a bowl. Using a ballon whisk or a hand-held mixer blend the ingredients well to have a smooth,  homogenised mixture. Add the vanilla extract and lime or lemon zest. Mix well once again.
6. Transfer the contents to a long and freezer safe container or mould. I find my break baking tin ideal for freezing such desserts. Let the mixture set for 3-4 hours. After the stipulated time bring it out and give it a blend in a mixer-grinder to break all the ice-crystals. Once done transfer the contents to the tin and return it to the freezer. After another 4-5 hours repeat the blending step once again.
7. After 8-10 hours of freezing the Vanilla-Lime Frozen Yogurt will be ready to be served.
8. Serve in individual portions with topping of  your choice.
9. I liked serving it with the Date Syrup  and sprinkle of  roasted cashew nuts.