Do you want to know the one thing I really dislike about frozen yogurt from a frozen yogurt shop (I am certain no one here has ever considered my complaints about frozen yogurt before now, but play along)? I mean, besides the fact that it is almost painfully over-sweetened? And the unappealing flavors that serve no purpose other than to satisfy a dare (cotton candy? French toast?)? And, all right, the rather mysterious list of ingredients that go into making a frozen confection taste like French toast? So, those are three things already, I know, but do you want to know the biggest complaint I have about frozen yogurt?
It tastes absolutely nothing like yogurt.
Believe me, I know this is a ridiculous thing to point out. However, it is also the perfect manner in which one comes to the realization that, my goodness, do you even know how easy it is to make frozen yogurt at home? Frozen yogurt that is made of actual yogurt, chopped fruit, just a sprinkling of sugar, and not much else?
It’s not ice cream, of course, but that’s not what we’re going for here. What we’re looking for is a tartness that is not found in ice cream, and a focus on fruit that can oftentimes be overshadowed by the delectably forward creaminess of ice cream. This frozen yogurt is all about the two flavors of peaches and yogurt coming together. In a fit of curiosity, I added a tablespoon of bourbon to the frozen yogurt right before the mixture was ready to be pulled from the ice cream maker and, boy howdy, can I recommend that you do the same. Bright peaches, tart yogurt, and the woodsy undertone of bourbon? Now there are some things that I definitely like about frozen yogurt.
Last Year: Vintage Kitchen Tools and Chicken Tikka with Tomato–a fantastic potluck offering
Peach Frozen Yogurt
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz
1 ½ pounds of ripe peaches 9 about 5 large)
2 tablespoons water
¼ cup sugar
1 cup whole milk yogurt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
a few drops of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon bourbon
Peel the peaches (here is a great peeling tutorial–and a great recipe for a no-bake fresh peach pie!), slice them in half, and remove the pits. Cut the peaches into chunks, and cook them with the water in a medium, nonreactive saucepan set over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and cooked through. You’ll want to see the peaches sitting in a nice bed of their released syrup. Remove from the heat, stir in the sugar until it is dissolved, then cool completely in the refrigerator.
When the peaches are completely cool, puree them with the yogurt in a blender, food processor, or with a stick blender. The peach mixture should be mostly smooth, but still a bit chunky. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon juice.
Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the mixture reaches the consistency of super soft soft serve, add in the bourbon, then continue to freeze until the mixture is ready to be removed from the ice cream maker and packed into a freezer-safe container.
Makes about 3 cups.
Savory Salty Sweet 
Oh, boy! We just happen to have bought peaches at a roadside stand today – and to have a quart of yogurt waiting in the fridge!! Yum!
Looks yummy. Do you have any tips for those of us who don’t have an ice cream maker? Also, in the photo you have a low fat yogurt showing, but in the list of ingredients it says whole milk yogurt. Have you noticed any difference in taste/texture using either?
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, I am not really sure what can be done to make this using an alternate method. Simply freezing it would result in an off texture–ice crystals will form and the yogurt will end up grainy. You might be able to look up alternate methods online. If you find a reliable method, let us know!
The original David Lebovitz recipe that I adapted called for full fat yogurt. I only had low fat, and it worked out great. I’ve made other types of frozen yogurt using both full fat yogurt and low fat yogurt, and they both worked out splendidly. Hope this helps!