Pear Frozen Yogurt

A chilly, but oh so welcoming reception to Spring! Flowers burst forth with their shout out for all to hear and see...even an arctic fox, at our local zoo, took in Spring's soft sun rays. A lovely sight!

Upon my return from the zoo, I perused through the fridge and encountered bits of this, that, and the other. It was then, when I found inspiration--leftover plain whole milk yogurt and several forgotten pear slices. I had them get together with cardamom and honey, a truly dynamic couple, and gave them a whirl. Added a splash of alcohol, '43', and made everyone a little swirly! Who knew such staples would pack a punch? Really, a true story!

My refrigerated finds were further inspired by Helene from mytartelette.com. She has a plethora of tempting recipes. I can't forget to mention her photography, a genius with a bionic aesthetic eye!

Pear Frozen Yogurt

10 ounces plain whole milk yogurt

4 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 pear

1 tablespoon '43' or other preferred liquor

1/4-1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Frozen yogurt base prep:

Line colander with cheesecloth or heavy duty paper towels. Place colander in bowl and let sit at least 6 hours to overnight to release excess moisture.

Peel and puree pear in food processor

Add yogurt 'base', honey, and cardamom

Combine in food processor

Add 1 tablespoon of alcohol pulse 2-3 times to blend

Pour into freezer safe bowl
Freeze until desired firmness

Serve as is, or drizzle honey and dress with chopped pistachios!

Spectaculary sexy!

* Canned pears work just as well
* To enhance flavors, allow mixture to sit in fridge for at least 15 minutes before freezing

* I think I may have added a little too much cardamom, adjust it to suit your taste.

* I added '43', to keep the frozen yogurt creamy and scoopable, I don't care for it to be rock hard. Ok, the truth of the matter is, I don't like to wait. When I pull it out of the freezer, I want to enjoy it right then, as in now, it has to be at the ready!

* Alcohol inhibits complete freezing--no more than 1tbs. If you want more, then serve yourself in a chilled glass and call it good

Mandarin Orange Frozen Yogurt

Hot, hot, hot! This heat is beautifully unbelievable! I appreciate the change, but I do not wish to have it last any longer. As of now, I welcome and am ready for my daytime highs of 65 degrees! Enough said about mother nature's offerings...

To combat the heat, I looked to divine inspiration for something different, creamy, cold, and satisfying. As I waited for an idea to come, I perused the pantry and fridge. Nothing, no ideas. The day came and went, and nothing. Wednesday morning, and it arrived--mandarin orange chunks, in a creamy yogurt sweetened with honey and spiced with cardamom.

Hmmmm, worth a try...I mean, I had to try it. I asked for inspiration, and was given inspiration. I researched some possibilites to increase the creaminess without having to add heavy cream, whole milk, or other sinfully delicious fatty necessaries. One common thread I encountered was using whole milk yogurt, and draining the extra moisture for at least 6 hrs. I tried it, and I liked it!

The end product...a trifecta of exotic summery bliss!

Mandarin Orange Frozen Yogurt

16 ounces plain whole milk yogurt
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup honey

1 cup mandarin oranges, canned and drained

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

Pour yogurt into a cheesecloth lined colander and cover with cloth. Let drain at least 6 hours to overnight. This will permit extra moisture to drain, leaving you with a concentrated creamy and dense whey.

Carefully pull up cloth and place yogurt into a medium bowl.

Add honey, cardamom, and zest. Stir. Add oranges. Mix until well combined.
Let mixture rest for several hours to overnight, to infuse flavors.

Place in freezer for several hours until desired consistency.

Makes about 3-4 cups.

* I roughly chopped oranges. If you'd like an uninterrupted oranginess, puree oranges and remaining ingredients.
* I churned yogurt mixture in an ice cream maker for about 45 minutes, and had a rather tough time getting it to a firmer consistancy. After freezing it for a couple of hours it was soft, but firmer