N° 78: My Frozen Yogurt Craze Contribution

Good morning,

If you’ve walked the streets of Manhattan since the sun came to town this year, you’ve seen them too. I’m not the first or only person to have noticed the insane lines for frozen yogurt shops in New York City1, but maybe—fingers crossed—I’m unique in sending you three frozen yogurt recipes made in the style of Italian fior di latte ice cream (i.e., starch-thickened and cream-enriched)? Below, you’ll find my recipes for:

• Amarena Cherry Frozen Yogurt;

• Creamy Honey Frozen Yogurt*; and

• Banana-Brown Sugar Frozen Yogurt*.

Good & Sweet (which, on page 231, has a fruit-sweetened frozen yogurt recipe I love) is four years old this month, so it was a nice surprise that it got some unexpected attention in the past week. First, I was asked to host an event at The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Conn. to discuss the book and share a few treats from it (I made rosemary-lemon shortbread, mini olive oil zucchini spice cakes, and chocolate chip cookies that were a hybrid of my two Formal Assignment C.C.C. recipes—this one and this one. The hybrid recipe cookies went over so well that I’m going to publish the recipe here soon.) Then, House of Books in Kent, Conn., which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, reported Good & Sweet as one of its three top-selling cookbooks of all time! Who needs the NYT Best Sellers list when you’ve got the HOB list, am I right?

Some recommendations:

• Lido Pimienta has released a new album, Caribenya. In a nutshell: “Carribean sublime.”2

• Hugo Marchand is coming to New York City Center July 23-26. See you there.

• Martin Sorge’s cookbook, Great Bakes: Modern Classic Recipes from the Midwest is available for pre-order (it’ll be out on August 4). Martin has put together a fantastic collection of baking recipes, including breakfasts, desserts, and breads, that speak to the regional crops (cherries corn, etc.) and recipes among which he was raised, and to the influence of nineteenth-century German immigration on his and the midwest’s tastes and baking practices.

Thanks for reading this. Talk to you soon.

Brian

*Formal Assignment P.S. is for paid subscribers. It’s less than $3/month for an annual subscription. There are reduced annual fees available. Just ask!

Mixing tangy yogurt with a base of starch-thickened heavy cream, in the style of Italian fior di latte ice cream, gives this frozen yogurt its uniquely rich and luxurious mouthfeel. Served just after churning, it’s a marvelous soft-serve, and after hours in the freezer, it’s more solidly scoopable.

Bits of very-dark chocolate, a perfect partner for Amarena cherries, would be a welcome addition at the churning stage of this recipe, if you’re so inclined. And if you’d like less yogurt tang in the final product, be sure to use the Greek yogurt option detailed in the “Tip” section.

Gluten-free

Yield: about 2 pints (1 liter)
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes (for soft serve) or 6+ hours (for firmer ice cream)

INGREDIENTS:

• 273g heavy cream

• 244g Amarena cherries, strained (a little syrup is fine)

• 46g granulated sugar

• 14g nonfat milk powder

• 9g cornstarch (or 10g tapioca starch)

• Pinch salt

• 433g whole-milk yogurt (unstrained, i.e., not Greek-style; see Tip if you’d prefer to use Greek yogurt)

PREPARATION:

1. In an upright blender (or using an immersion blender directly in a medium saucepan), blitz 120 grams of the cream with the cherries, sugar, milk powder, starch, and salt until very smooth. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat, whisking constantly and making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. After it comes to a light boil, continue to cook the mixture, whisking all the while, for another minute. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the remaining 153 grams of cream and then all of the yogurt. Transfer the frozen yogurt base to an airtight container and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least two hours (and up to 24).

2. Churn the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately for “soft serve,” or freeze for a few hours (and up to a month) for a firmer, scoopable frozen yogurt.

STORAGE:
Keep frozen in an airtight container for up to a month.

TIP:
To use “Greek” (strained) yogurt: Omit the nonfat milk powder and use 293g whole milk + 138g whole-milk Greek yogurt in place of the unstrained yogurt.

Gluten-free

Yield: about 2 pints (1 liter)
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes (for soft serve) or 6+ hours (for firmer ice cream)