We fell in love...

We fell in love, with frozen yogurt, that is.  Well not just any frozen yogurt, but HOMEMADE passion fruit frozen yogurt.  We found some passion fruits at the farmer’s market yesterday and decided to stock up.  With our recent success with the roasted strawberry ice cream from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, I decided to try her passion fruit frozen yogurt recipe.     

The flavor was intense.  But perfect.  Vu and I love the tartness.  Similar to how Vietnamese yogurt tastes, the ones we grew up with, which Pinkberry has successful introduced to the American consumers.  If you have traveled to Vietnam, you probably remember the frozen yogurt sold in a little plastic bag.  And only one flavor, plain tart, unlike the multitude of flavors offered at the typical American yogurt parlor.  The hot, humid weather of Vietnam melts it quite nicely and turns it into a delectable treat of sweetness and tart.     

We have always liked yogurt, even more so than ice cream since it's a healthier alternative.  Just about every time we went to dinner, we would end the night at Yogurt World or Pinkberry. 

The frozen yogurt was a perfect treat for a warm afternoon.  Absolutely refreshing.  And the color was gorgeous.  Beautiful sunny yellow.  A welcoming sign of summer.  We enjoyed it so much that I whipped up a second batch already.  Hidden nicely in the back of our freezer.  We are ready for the upcoming warm summer afternoons and evenings.  

Passion Fruit Frozen Yogurt (adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home)

1 quart plain low-fat yogurt

1 ½ cup sugar

1 cup passion fruit pulp

1 cup and 2 tbsps whole milk

2 tbsps cornstarch

¼ cup light corn syrup

1 cup of heavy cream

1. Set a sieve over a bowl and line it with a cheesecloth.  Pour half of a quart of yogurt into the sieve, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight to drain.

2. Discard the liquid, and measure out 2 cups of strained yogurt (you’ll yield a bit over 2 cups, save the remaining for other uses).

3. For the passion fruit syrup, combine the passion fruit pulp and combine ½ cup of sugar in a small saucepan and boil over medium-heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool.

4. Combine 2 tbsps of milk with 2 tbsps with cornstarch to make a smooth slurry.

5. In a saucepan, combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

6. Remove from heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and stir with a spatula until the mixture slightly coats the spatula.  Remove from heat.

7. Gradually whisk the strained yogurt and passion fruit syrup into the milk mixture and mix until smooth.

8. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziplock freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in an ice bath until cold, about 30 minutes.

9. Pour the yogurt mixture into the frozen canister of your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

10. Spin until thick and creamy about 25-30 minutes.

11. Pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container, 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.