Strawberry Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt

Ah, my ice-cream maker. It's a complicated relationship. On a warm summer day, nothing tempts me more than creamy frozen goodness. However great ice-cream, with the cream and the egg yolks and the sugar is probably not the most swimsuit-friendly food option. What is a girl to do?

We have lots of strawberries in our new garden right now. Teeny, tiny delicious strawberries. And don't forget the rhubarb! So as a lighter-calorie option, today I decided to try frozen yogurt with fruit from our garden.

Strawberry Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt...
1 pound fresh strawberries
2 stalks fresh rhubarb
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups plain yogurt

1. Send your moppets out to gather berries. If you don't have moppets of your own, I have a pair you can borrow.

2. Wash and cap berries. Mash them slightly with a fork. Pour 1/2 cup sugar over them, mix and set aside for an hour.

3. Wash and slice rhubarb. Add water, 3/4 cup sugar and rhubarb to a saucepan, bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and falling apart. Syrup should be sweet/tart. Add to strawberries. Mash together (puree in blender if you want a smoother texture).

4. Add fruit mixture to yogurt, whisk together to remove any lumps of yogurt. It's best to use a bowl with a pour spout to pour the mixture into your ice cream machine. These melamine bowls from Williams-Sonoma have been perfect for the job, plus they have a grippy bottom that doesn't slide all over the counter when you whisk.

5. Fire up your ice-cream maker. I have a Cuisinart 1 1/2 quart machine with the bowl you keep in the freezer (so it requires no ice or salt). It is a reasonably-priced machine that yields exceptional results. I did learn, however, that when you clean the bowl after making ice cream, don't wipe it out with a paper towel. Remember the kid on A Christmas Story with his tongue frozen to the flag pole? Well, that will happen to your paper towel and you'll end up with a bunch of frozen paper mucking up your nice bowl. Probably don't stick your tongue on it either.

6. Freeze ice cream according to the instructions for your particular ice-cream machine.

7. Ice cream will be soft-serve and ready to eat when it comes out of the mixer. If you want it a little firmer, put into a freezer-safe bowl and freeze for at least 2 hours. Makes approximately 6-8 medium-sized servings.

The tartness of the fruit and yogurt was so refreshing! We served this at a BBQ and it was the perfect compliment to the grilled food. I think it would be scrumptious with a bite of chocolate brownie - something sweet to go with the tart. I'll have to make this for a birthday party.