Only my second foray into the fabulous world of fro-yo (the first being the currently unpublished recipe for Strawberry Fro-Yo that was consumed before the photo shoot could happen) and it’s some serious stuff. I love this recipe because it’s such a short list of ingredients that begets something so wholesome and lovely – not to mention that you could absolutely, positively never get this in the store.
Brazileira that I am, of course I have a love for açai, a potent little superfruit found in the Amazon rainforest. Known for its energy jolt and wild blueberry flavor, it has gained quite a bit of a following here in the states as of late. It has also gained a slew of folks pronouncing the name incorrectly – as the daughter of a language teacher, I have to take this opportunity to give you a mini lesson. Say it after me, stressing every single syllable…AH-SIGH-EE. Not “ah-KAI” like some people would have you say. It’s AH-SIGH-EE. There, that wasn’t so hard.
I get my açai from Whole Foods or online at Fresh Direct, but you can also get it at health food stores and sometimes even in the plain old supermarket in the frozen fruit section. If you have a choice, try to get the pure puree (say that 10 times fast) so that you can fully control the excellence of the ingredients that you are using.
Açai Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
1 c. of frozen blueberries
7 oz. (200g) of pure açai puree (Sambazon-brand, frozen pouches)
1/2 c. of honey
32 oz. of fat-free plain yogurt
1 vanilla bean
zest of 1 lemon
Begin by tossing the frozen blueberries with the açai puree, honey and lemon zest. Slice the vanilla bean in half with a paring knife and scrape all the black paste in the middle of the bean. Save the beans to flavor coffee grinds or sugar. Place the blueberries in the fridge to hang out while you prep the yogurt.
Line a sieve with paper towels and place over a bowl. Add the yogurt to the sieve right on top of the paper towels and place in the fridge. Let the liquid from the yogurt drain off, about 2-3 hours or overnight.
Dump the thickened yogurt into a bowl and discard the liquid that has drained off. Drain the liquid from the blueberry bowl right into the thickened yogurt and set the blueberries aside. Whisk the yogurt/blueberry liquid mixture until smooth. Pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker and follow your manufacturer’s instructions. In the last two minutes of mixing, pour in the blueberries. When finished, remove to a tupperware and freeze for a little bit to allow the ice cream to solidify a bit more. Serve.