Frozen Peach Yoghurt and Oaty Crumb Topping (No Churn)

July has been such a frantic month here at the Kitchen Shed, weeding, grass cutting and watering in the garden and potager, not to mention picking fruit and jam making. Clutches of birds have fledged and it’s wonderful to see the young swallows out practising their aerobatics. I just hope they eat plenty of the pesky little flies that give you a nasty nip. Known as ‘aoutat’ they usually arrive in August (aout) as the name suggests but they have appeared early this year because we haven’t had much rain.

The good weather meant we could invite friends around to eat with us in the garden. After my review for Craving Curries , OH ordered more curry kits. What better way to try out their chickpea curry  than at our first al fresco curry night of the season. The chickpea curry flavours were amazing and we have another curry night booked in already !

I don’t know about you but I find it a bit tricky thinking of a dessert to go with a curry. I needed something light and refreshing and since I had a tray of peaches (my bargain of the week at only 3,20 Euros) and plenty of yoghurt for the raita, I decided Frozen Peach Yoghurt would fit the bill. Having baked some oat biscuits to keep the biscuit barrel stocked up, I thought an oaty biscuit cheesecake base and fresh peach slices would serve as a topping to make it feel more like a dessert. It was delicious, so fruity and refreshing with the addition of peach liqeur hinting at a touch of luxury whilst also limiting the formation of ice crystals. I didn’t use an ice cream churner as we have limited electricity here at the Kitchen Shed but you can churn the peach yoghurt mix if you wish.

I prefer to make my own yoghurt and if you’ve yet to give it a go, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to produce a creamy and tasty yoghurt. I’ve included the instructions on making yoghurt here. I used homemade oat biscuits in my oaty topping but Hobnobs or Digestives will work just as well. Frozen Peach Yoghurt is of course delicious served all on its own !

Tip for individual portions of Frozen Peach Yoghurt

If you freeze the peach yoghurt in small plastic pudding bowls with fitted lids (the type used for Christmas puddings), they are perfect for a small portion and save taking a large container out of the freezer too many times.

 Frozen Peach Yoghurt and Oaty Crumb Topping (No Churn)

Makes: Approximately 1.5 litres

Ingredients

Frozen Peach Yoghurt

• 6 large ripe peaches or nectarines skinned and chopped
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons of peach liqueur or vodka
• 125 g (1 cup) icing / confectioners’ sugar
• 500 ml (2 cups) greek yoghurt or try Homemade Creamy Yoghurt

Oaty Crumb Topping

• 110 g (4 oz) homemade oat biscuits, Hobnobs or digestives
• 75 g ( ⅓ cup) melted butter
• 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
• 25 g (1 oz) chopped almonds

A few peach or nectarine slices to decorate

Make the Frozen Peach Yoghurt:

• Whizz the peaches, lemon juice, peach liqueur and icing sugar together and place in the fridge for at least an hour to chill.
• Stir in the yoghurt and mix well.
• Transfer to a plastic container with a lid and place in the freezer overnight.
• Soften your frozen yoghurt by removing from the freezer at least 30 minutes before serving.
• (You can of course serve your yoghurt straightaway if you’ve churned it in an ice cream maker)

Make the Oaty Crumb Topping:

• Crush the biscuits in a food processor or in a food bag using a rolling pin.
• Tip into a bowl with the melted butter and mix well.
• Add the soft brown sugar and chopped almonds and mix again.
• Transfer to a food bag and flatten out forming a layer about 1 cm thick.
• Fasten the bag and place in the fridge to set.
• Once your crumb topping has set, crumble the mix up and serve with your frozen peach yoghurt when needed.

To assemble your Frozen Peach Yoghurt with Oaty Crumb Topping:

• Serve two or three scoops of frozen peach yoghurt and crumble over about a tablespoon of crumb topping. Decorate with fresh peach or nectarine slices and enjoy.

I’m sending this recipe off to a few food challenges this month:

• The Family Foodies challenge created by Vanesther at Bangers and Mash and Louisa at Eat Your Veg where the theme is ‘Chill Out Baby’.
• Credit Crunch Munch created by Helen and Camilla, hosted this month by Sarah over at Maison Cupcake.
• Ren Behan’s Simple & in Season hosted this month by My Custard Pie.
• Recipe of the Week hosted by Emily at A Mummy Too.
• Cook Blog Share hosted & created by Lucy at Super Golden Bakes.