Fruit yogurt with fresh fruits, naturally sweet....
Most of my desserts are naturally sweetened .
Yes, sugar is also natural if you consider the source but the 'natural' connection ends there.
My way of naturally sweet ingredients that are 'real' and 'whole' implies to all fruits and dried fruits. Almost all my dessertrs are sweetened by whole fruits or dried fruits like apricots, prunes or dates. These should not be mixed up with natural sweeteners like honey and Agave syrup. While honey is natural, Agave syrup is not natural as it is a processed product in modern day and not a great sweetener as popularised by the manufacturers and many health writers too.
Check the facts here to know how Agave syrup is as bad as refined sugar for any one who wants/needs to avoid sugar.
Honey is natural but packed with as much simple carbs as refined sugar, a few more minerals make it a little better but it's not a suitable sweeteners if you are counting your calories. Although I like honey as a small quantity used gives a lot of flavor and depth. So if a honey dessert or drink is not overpoweringly sweetened I would love it.
My fruit yogurt always has just the fruits, chopped, pureed or sometimes in a form of coulis. Sometimes with a light drizzle of honey too.
This yogurt dessert with Chikkoo and prunes is a favorite too.
A cup of chopped strawberries can be Microwaved or pan cooked with just 2 tsp of sugar till they get mushy and some syrup is extracted.
This makes 2 servings of a gorgeous looking fruit yogurt having 1 tsp sugar per serving.
Mix most of the coulis into plain whipped yogurt and drizzle some of the syrupy coulis over the serving bowl or mug.
This fruit yogurt with Strawberry coulis is a great way to appease the eye as well as the palette.
Liquidise one cup of fresh black grapes with a cup of thick hung curd and freeze the liquidised mix for two hours. Mix with a fork properly to break the ice crystals formed, and freeze again. It will be ready to be scooped out into serving bowls after an hour.
For a smoother frozen yogurt you might like to use an ice cream maker or breaking the ice crystals manually 3-4 times before it freezes into smooth texture.
Top it up with other chopped fruits like Kiwi and strawberries and serve to refresh everyone on the table.
I like it more as it goes on melting slowly, meddling with the chopped fruits...
This frozen fruit yogurt doesn't use any added sugar and is mildly sweet. With all the flavors that a fruit comes with , sweetness on different levels and many flavors added to maximum effect.
In my opinion the natural sweetness of such ingredients is much more enjoyable as there are many undertones of wonderful flavors to enjoy. Overpowering sweetness imparted by sugar kills all these flavors of fresh fruits.
Do you enjoy the sweetness in naturally sweet fruits? Which ones are your favorites with yogurt?
Many others go well with fresh cream. Mangoes and bananas are fresh cream friendly in my food world.
Mango makes a great ice cream without any added sugar too...
Oh did I kick start a mango craving now ?
Wonderful agree on agave syrup part.. must try ur way..
ReplyDeletemade the strawberry coulis frozen yogurt...i think it needs a bit more sugar....and the coulis needs to be cooled a bit...it tastes very nice!!!
ReplyDeleteYes Sush. The taste is really nice. Sweetening as said, I like it mild, you can always add some more sugar. And in summers it would sure be better chilled :-)
Deletewow. I am making frozen yogurt for sure...
ReplyDeletehow do i liquidize black grapes...
ReplyDeleteJust blend them along with the yogurt in a mixie jar. Or any liquidising gadget you use. The tidbits of skin would be there and would add to the beauty.
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