Fat-free frozen yogurt churned with juicy roasted peaches and sweetened by honey. A cool summer breeze.
Years ago, my parents lived in South Carolina about an hour outside of Charleston. After 30 years of being tied to jobs in the north, they were newly retired and looked forward to getting back to the familiar, long hot summers of their childhoods. They built a house on a lake locally known for good fishing and dad motored his fishing boat out early every morning with a buddy in search of breakfast, while mom rediscovered her southern accent, joined a church and met up with new golfing partners. They’re both gone now, my mom 10 years ago this month, my dad a few years later, but when I think back over their lives I think this was the time they were happiest.
They were finally able to live a life that fit them, like wearing a favorite outfit that makes you feel good all day. In synchrony with their natural rhythms, living life on their terms. No responsibilities tugging at their legs, no jobs forcing them to conform to something inauthentic. For a moment in time, in balance. I wish that time had lasted longer for them. I wish they hadn’t waited until they were retired to find it.
So what does this have to do with peaches? Well, there are a lot of peach orchards in South Carolina. One year during one of my visits, my mom and I went to a u-pick-it peach orchard and brought home a large basket of succulent, golden peaches picked at their peak. It was a dripping hot summer day, the type where even your breathing slows down, and the farmer’s little girls were selling lemonade to people who came by to fill baskets. It’s all a little hazy now with time, but that day and those peaches still sit as a perfect frame for my parents’ lives at that time: slightly fuzzy, soft, sweet, and full of juice.
This month’s theme for #Love Bloghop is peaches, and I wanted to share a new frozen yogurt I’ve been playing with. It’s amazingly easy to make, with bonus points for being healthy. I used fat-free Fage Greek Yogurt, scraped the seeds from a vanilla pod, roasted some peaches and added honey for sweetening. The result is a sublime peaches- honey - cream taste without the fat or processed sugar.
Please join in on the #peachlove fun by linking up any peach recipe from the month of August 2012. Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #peachlove event! The twitter hashtag is #peachlove.
Peaches and Honey Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients
- 3 large peaches
- ⅓ cup honey to taste (dark honey is best for it's caramel hints)
- Pinch nutmeg
- Pinch cinnamon
- 1 large container Fage Non-fat Greek Yogurt 35.3 ounce size
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Turn the broiler on. Cut the peaches in half, peel them, remove their pits, and place them cut side up on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle a little honey over the peach halves, and sprinkle a little nutmeg and cinnamon on top. Slip the peaches under the broiler until they start to caramelize on top, about 3 minutes. Flip the peaches over and slip them back under the broiler for another minute. The peaches should be very soft.
- Place the entire container of Greek Yogurt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Add the peaches.
- With a sharp knife, cut a slit along the length of a vanilla pod and open it up; scrape all the tiny black seeds out into the bowl of the processor. Add the vanilla extract, salt and the remaining honey. Whirl the food processor like crazy until the peaches are completely mixed into the yogurt. If you prefer some chunks, add the third peach after the first two are mixed in and just pulse the processor.
- Transfer the peach yogurt mixture to a bowl and place in the freezer for 2 hours to completely chill.
- Remove from the freezer and transfer the mixture to the bowl of an ice cream maker. Process according to the directions of your ice cream maker. Return to the freezer until ready to serve.
- Before serving, let the frozen yogurt sit on the counter for 15 minutes to soften.
Notes
Please go check out what my cohosts are making too!
Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins
Elephant Eats ~ Amy
Java Cupcake ~ Betsy Eves
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ T.R.
Oh Cake ~ Jessica
Pippi’s In the Kitchen Again ~ Sheila
Rico sin Azúcar ~ Helena
Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda
Teaspoon of Spice ~ Serena
That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!! ~ Liz
The Spicy RD ~ EA Stewart
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan Pridmore
Choc Chip Uru
I'm certainly feeling the peach love my friend, this looks incredibly delicious 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much CCU!
Helena/Rico sin Azúcar
Looks delicious and very creamy! I made some weeks ago a peach youghurt I expext to post this month.
Happy #peachlove bloghop, Susan!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I love your food, so I can't wait to see it Helena!
Renee Dobbs
Love peaches and the honey makes it even better.
PS. I love the container. Where did you get it?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm still catching up on my comments, Renee, so I apologize for the delay in responding! I found the containers at my local grocery store, amazingly. As soon as I saw them, I bought 2 packages: one in blue, one in pink. So, so fun to have them to play with since I love to make my own ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and sorbets.
gluttonforlife
Beautifully evocative, Susan, and a lovely glimpse of your parents. I've been pouring these fruit-yogurt concoctions into popsicle molds and enjoying them all summer long...
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Laura! It was such a sweet time for them in life. I've been seeing your fruit-yogurt beauties and you've convinced me I need to get some of those molds!
Amy
What a lovely post. Sounds like your parents got to really enjoy life! This frozen yogurt sounds so refreshing. I wish I had an ice cream maker!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Amy, yes they did. And it's so nice to have those memories of them 🙂
spicegirlfla
I'm just learning all about these sweet tasting South Carolina peaches!! Your story about your parents is very thought provoking. We all need to not wait to enjoy the simply pleasures of life. Sounds like they were able to enjoy their dream for awhile. This recipe is fabulous sounding and very tempting!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much spicegirl 🙂 If you can get some South Carolina peaches, grab them!
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil)
Wow - this sound so so refreshing and delicious -can't wait to try it. Enjoyed reading about your parents and their retirement -Charleston, SC would be high on my list to retire to someday, too 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It's such a beautiful area - I just loved visiting them there. So much history too.
Green Dragonette
Lovely story about your parents and a lovely recipe-great post Susan!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Green Dragonette!
TR Crumbley (@TRCrumbley)
There are so many things I love about this. Not only does it look amazing, but the only added sugar is natural honey and from the peaches, and you use greek yogurt! I have an ice cream maker and will definitely want to make this in the coming weeks!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It's the healthiest way I've been able to make a frozen dessert yet! And peaches and honey go soooo well together 🙂
Sasha
This sounds so yummy! I have fond memories of peach picking, too, in the Niagara fruit belt. At "Frankie & Johnnie's"... OMG I only remembered that as I typed this, memory is a strange thing!
Anyhow, was going to bemoan the fact that I have never managed to make an icecream maker work for me - but then I've never chilled the mix for 2 whole hours before mixing, either. Hm. Now, instead I'll bemoan giving back the icecream maker...
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh no! Yes, I find that if I chill for a couple hours, or even overnight, it really gets a much better texture!
Serena
I was surprised to read just recently that SC grows more peaches than Georgia! Wow! Some day I hope I can visit in peach season! What a great idea to roast the peaches first to intensify the flavor...my kids will go crazy for this...if I even let them know I make it! (:
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I had no idea until I started going to South Caroline to visit them. I lived in Georgia for awhile and had always thought they wore the peach crown. Who knew?? And yes, roasting them gets them nice and soft, it intensifies the flavor, and there's a slight caramelizing of the peaches for added depth of sweetness.
Betsy Honey Badger Eves
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm......... i love this! it's like ice cream....without the sin!
Pleasure bloghopping with you!
<3 Betsy
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Betsy! It's totally creamy without the fat, and just sweet enough without the processed sugar!
ea-the spicy rd
This sounds absolutely wonderful! It has been hot here in San Diego recently, so a bowl of this would do just the trick to cool me off. Happy #peachlove to you!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It's been hot here too! Usually July and August are shrouded in cold, damp fog. But not this year!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Becky! I'm in California, and the peaches here just aren't the same, but in this frozen yogurt they're really, really good 🙂
Russell van Kraayenburg
What an ice cream recipe! This looks scrumptious!
Valerie
You chose the same ingredients as I did for my #peachlove recipe, they're just nice together, love your ice cream!