Sunday, July 31, 2011

EASY, CREAMY, QUICK BERRY FROZEN “SOYGURT”

Best Blog Tips
This was made with a frozen three-berry mixture.
I promised (on FB and Twitter) to post this recipe today, so here it is!  This frozen treat is so easy, nutritious, inexpensive, light, and not-too-sweet-- and at the same time, delicious and creamy.   It’s quick to make, too, because using frozen berries means you don’t have to wait for the mixture to chill before freezing it!  Just blend it up and pour it into your ice cream machine! Perfect for lazy days of summer.  One of those inexpensive little manual ice cream makers with the metal insert that you freeze (like a Donvier) works just fine with this, so you don’t need an electric one, though that works fine, too. You could also freeze the mixture in ice pop molds .


The electric model I have is the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence™ 2 Qt. Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker
BRYANNA’S EASY BERRY FROZEN “SOYGURT”   
Makes about 5 cups
This recipe is definitely a "keeper"!
            
1 lb. medium-firm tofu, drained and crumbled (or use 1 1/3 [12.3 oz.] boxes extra-firm silken tofu)
1/2 cup nondairy milk
3/4 cup light unbleached organic sugar (or sugar-free sweetener of your choice)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
a pinch salt
*2-3 tablespoons vodka, rum, brandy or orange, lemon or berry liqueur
*AND/OR 1 tablespoon Instant ClearJel (see info about this below) OR 3/8 teaspoon Xanthan gum or Guar gum
(*These 2 ingredients are optional but recommended [one or both] because they help prevent the mixture from freezing rock-hard, and the liquor also adds flavour.)

3 cups frozen berries (I used a 3-berry mix of raspberries, blueberries and Marion berries from Costco)
NOTE: If you don’t have a heavy-duty blender (such as a VitaMix) that will puree the berry seeds so that you can’t discern them, you’ll have to first puree the frozen fruit in a blender or food processor and then press the mixture through a sieve to leave the seeds behind. (Using a manual mouli or food mill with the finest holes might work too.) Set it aside in the refrigerator.
           
Place all of the ingredients EXCEPT the fruit in a blender and blend until VERY smooth.  Add the frozen berries (either whole, or pureed--see Note above—depending on the strength of your blender) and blend well again until the mixture is smooth.

Quickly scrape the cold mixture into your ice cream machine and follow the directions for your machine.  (We ate some of it straight out of the machine—if you close up the machine and just let the mixture sit for 1/2 an hour or so, it will further firm up.)
           
Scoop the frozen “soygurt” or what you have left!) into a 1-quart (or two 1-pint) freezer container, cover, and freeze for a couple of hours before serving.


Nutrition Facts (Analysed according to a yield of 5 cups/10 servings; made with medium-firm tofu, soymilk; and Instant ClearJel, but no liquor)

Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving): 123.3 calories; 17% calories from fat; 2.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 38.0mg sodium; 102.2mg potassium; 22.4g carbohydrates; 1.5g fiber; 19.4g sugar; 21.0g net carbs; 4.2g protein; 2.4 points.



 Cooking Tips
A while ago, I started playing with my gelato recipe from my book "Nonna's Italian Kitchen". I wanted to make it richer-tasting, easier to make, and with more servings. One of the things I did was to use Instant Clearjel® instead of the cooked tapioca flour mixture that I generally use (tapioca thickens the mixture instead of eggs, and it has better mouth feel than cornstarch). This eliminates cooking the starch mixture, which means the whole thing takes less time and it doesn't take so long to chill the gelato mixture before freezing. Another option is xanthan gum or guar gum, and I have given the amounts in the recipe.

INSTANT CLEARJEL® NOTES AND SUPPLIERS (Updated July 2019)
In this recipe, DO NOT use the regular Clearjel® meant for making jam and pies and needs to be cooked.  Instant Clearjel® does NOT need to be cooked.  It is carried on amazon.comhoosierhillfarm.combarryfarm.com, nuts.com and King Arthur Flour for US customers (Nichols Nursery labels theirs non-gmo.]. It has been available in Canada primarily from baking supply wholesalers, but,  good news for Canadians--amazon.ca finally carries Instant Clearjel®! (Make sure you add a note to your order specifying that you want INSTANT Clearjel®.) Gourmet Warehouse in Vancouver, BC carries it, too, and they do mail order.
For information about this thickener, see:https://recipes.fandom.com/wiki/Instant_Clearjel%C2%AE
Read about another instant thickener that I haven't tried yet below, called Ultra-Gel:
https://www.pickyourown.org/ClearJel.htm Of their product, they say:
"Ultra Gel is a gluten-free, non-GMO cornstarch that can be added directed to any liquid, hot or cold, for instant thickening."

Enjoy!

10 comments:

Kendel said...

Thanks for a great recipe! We thought it was perfect for a hot summer day and decided to share it with our Facebook community! Come check out our page :D www.facebook.com/redpathsugar

Lana said...

Looking forward to trying this! Just FYI - if you would prefer, you can get smaller packages of Instant ClearJel in Vancouver at the Gourmet Warehouse on E. Hastings. Here is a link: http://www.gourmetwarehouse.ca/Instant-Clearjel. (They also have it in-store - that is where I got mine!)

Lana said...

Oops! Just saw your bolder sentence about GW (should have read right to the end before commenting) - so sorry for duplicating information!

TheCraftyVegan said...

Its stone fruit season where I am , do you think that this recipe can be used with other fruits if an equal or greater amount is used? I am thinking of trying this with 3 cups of peaches then maybe add a small amount of chunks of peaches in the finished product.Thanks for a great looking recipe and a way to use the Instant Clear Gel I bought in a greater quantity than I really needed.

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

Lorri, I'm sure you could use all manner of fruit, but remember that, if the fruit isn't frozen, you have to chill the mixture thoroughly before using. BTW, if you search (on the searchbox on this blog) for "clearjel" you'll find several recipes on this blog that use it. I have a huge box of it!

Unknown said...

Yum! This looks delicious!

Thanks for the recipe :)

Marie said...

Using Instant Clearjel is genius!
However, I was only able to find Clearjel at my local bakery.

Bryanna, do you know how I could use the Clearjel in your recipe?
Thank you!

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

Marie, at the end of the post I tell you where you can get it online.

Julianne said...

Hey Bryanna, I looked again on Amazon UK for your new book but there's still no mention of it. This is really unusual because I normally never have problems ordering books from the other side of the pond from them. I can't be the only person in the UK who wants to buy it, so I hope your publishers can get onto them about it!

Anonymous said...

I keep checking Amazon in the hope that your new book will be available earlier than the August 8 official date. Oh well, only a few more days until August 8.

I have all your other books except for the one with Dr. Barnard, so this will make a complete set. I use them frequently. Many thank for all the great ideas. I am looking forward to the new book. Your teaser photos look very appealing.

Joanne