I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Boston a few times to visit family and friends there; it is a beautiful city. I was terribly sad about the bombings at the Boston Marathon yesterday. I know a fellow blogger who was there, whose husband crossed the finish line just 3 minutes before. I’m so thankful that she and her family are alright, but I’m dreadfully grieved for all those who are not.
When life makes no sense, we must hold hope tightly and draw nearer to one another.
When life makes no sense, we long to go back to basics and take comfort in the simple things we so often take for granted.
When life makes no sense, we press on, forging a new normal out of the dust of the old, because something has shifted and we shift with it, however painful it may be.
When life makes no sense, we strive to bring order back to chaos. For me, that often means getting back into my kitchen.
For a lot of folks, a bowl of ice cream is a comfort. Something cold, creamy, and sweet. Something that sends us straight back to childhood. For my hometown family – when we all spontaneously jump into the car together and speed down to the local drive-thru for soft-serve and milkshakes and blended ice cream with cookies and candies mixed in – that’s comfort. Quality time together and something sweet and, even if for just a moment, all seems right with the world again.
Up here in Alaska, we don’t have one of those drive-thru ice cream places nearby, so I’m going to share how I made this frozen Greek yogurt at home, soft-serve style. I’ve made this a basic vanilla bean so that you can add whatever toppings, mix-ins, or flavors your little heart desires. If you have a stand-mixer and an ice cream maker attachment or a free-standing ice cream maker that is ready to go, you can have this ready in about 20-30 minutes from start to finish because, for soft-serve style, there’s no freezer time needed.
Greek Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt {Soft Serve Style}
A creamy, lightly sweetened, soft-serve style vanilla bean frozen yogurt made with Greek yogurt. Adapted from [Baking Bites|http://bakingbites.com/2012/07/homemade-frozen-greek-yogurt/].
Yields: 4-6 servings
- 1/4 cup water
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 3 cups (24 ounce container) of plain Greek yogurt, cold
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water and sugar to a full boil and boil about 90 seconds or until all the sugar has dissolved and you have a thick, clear syrup. Turn off heat.
In the clean, dry bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites to soft peaks at medium-high speed. Reduce the speed to low and stream the hot sugar syrup slowly into the beaten egg whites. When you have added all the syrup, turn the mixer up to high and continue beating until the mixture forms a thick, glossy meringue and the sides of the bowl are no longer hot to the touch, but just warm (in my mixer, this took about 5 minutes).
Fold the Greek yogurt and vanilla into the meringue until well incorporated. Transfer the mixture straight into the bowl of your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions until frozen, but still soft-serve texture, not firm. (I churned mine with my KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment for 10-12 minutes).
Serve promptly with toppings and mix-ins as desired. Store any leftovers in freezer. Soften before reserving.