Random Recipe Wednesday: Instant Frozen Yogurt

I bet you remember the frozen banana "soft-serve" craze of last summer.  I made countless batches of the creamy concoction, but this summer it's time for something new.  Instead of whirling up creamy frozen bananas, I decided to play with frozen grapes.  

Have you ever tried frozen grapes?  You should try frozen grapes.  They're a great snack in the summer heat.  Unlike other fruits they stay semi-soft even when frozen, kind of like bananas do.  With that same frozen-but-not-icy-or-rock-solid texture, I figured gapes could also be turned into a creamy frozen soft-serve.  Of course this had nothing to do with the 2 gallons of frozen grapes in our freezer (you'll never guess what was on sale a few weeks ago).

While frozen grapes are smooth (small ice crystals), they don't have quite the same creaminess factor as frozen bananas.  Enter yogurt (which, ahem, was also taking too much fridge space and needed to be used.)  You can use whatever flavor of yogurt your heart desires. The grapes provide a sweet base, but don't lend much grape flavor.  Your frozen yogurt will taste like the flavor of yogurt you use.  I went with lemon and blueberry here, thinking the grape skin flecks looked like blueberry skins, but your options are endless.  I'm thinking black cherry or raspberry would be just the thing along with a little cocoa powder.

Besides being totally customizeable, this cool treat is nearly instant and requires no ice cream maker.  All you have to do is pulse frozen grapes in the food processor until finely chopped, as shown below.

Then just add your yogurt and process until smooth.

Eat it right away for a smoother, softer spoonful, or put it in the freezer an hour or so until it's slightly more scoopable.  If you freeze it overnight, ice crystals will form, making it less smooth and creamy.  Not to worry, just let it soften a few minutes before you dig in.  And watch out for brain-freeze.

If you don't have an abundance of frozen grapes and yogurt then try one of these other frosty treats for 4th of July:

Strawberry-Mango-Basil Frozen Yogurt

Frosty Fruit Kabobs (can easily be made non-alcoholic)

Watermelon Beer Pops (again, if you leave out the beer trend from last summer these are non-alcoholic)

Watermelon Cucumber Cooler with Mint and Lime

Riesling Strawberry Slushies

Fruity Red Cabbage Smoothies

Instant Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups frozen grapes**

1/2 cup flavored yogurt (any flavor, I used half lemon and half blueberry here)

**Wash grapes and remove from stem.  Place in resealable plastic bags and freeze overnight.  Make sure your grapes are frozen all the way through before you start.  

Instructions:

 In the bowl of a food processor pulse frozen grapes until finely chopped, scraping down sides as needed.  Add yogurt and process until smooth, scraping sides as needed.  Work quickly and do not overprocess or mixture will melt.  Eat immediately or freeze for an hour or so for a slightly firmer texture.  

Food for Thought: "Pleasure has this unique trait: the more intensely you chase it, the less likely you are to catch it." -Kyle Idleman