Fast, easy, delicious. Frozen yogurt-sorbet dessert on the fly.

It’s that time of year when invitations to backyard cookouts are thicker than the aphids on my rosebushes. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

I’ve got one of those this evening, and whomping up something to go in the oven didn’t appeal - too hot. But, frozen sounded good. Even better I had a mess of plump blackberries leftover from jam making on Sunday. Hmmmmm. Non-fat frozen yogurt (maven can’t eat regular ice cream) and lemon sorbet sounded good. They sounded even better together - with the blackberries - oh, and some fresh herbs from the garden! Some basil and thyme.

Eureka!

You take a pint of this, and a pint of that, and sort of put it all together in a bowl with the fruit and herbs, refreeze it and voila! Truly gourmet frozen dessert that takes advantage of the season.

I softened the frozen yogurt and sorbet a bit in the microwave, then simply began to plop large spoonfuls in a clear plastic container - alternating flavors, then alternating layers of berries, herbs and more frozen dessert.

I didn’t stir the flavors together, since I wanted to be able to savor more or less distinct flavors, but with the berry and herbal components.

Don’t tell anybody, but I gave my family a taste before stashing it in the freezer to re-harden before we leave this evening.

They were pleasantly amazed.

Three ‘Yes’ votes.

Try your own combinations with the fresh fruit, nuts and herbs you have available. This is something you can customize in a very thrifty way - using nuts, berries, coconut and such from the bins at your local grocery store, plus the best fresh fruit of the season from a farmers’ market. Much cheaper, and healthier than you can buy.

In this I used a frozen yogurt that I’d never tried before but it’s going to be a regular:

Double Rainbow Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt.

If you love real yogurt this stuff will rock your world! At just 100 calories for a half cup serving, it’s simply amazing. It’s just yogurt. No goofy flavorings. No vanilla. Just the tart, tangy luciousness of yogurt, and when mixed with a screamingly lemony sorbet (the Ciao Bella sorbet- at 120 calories per half cup) it’s a real winner.

Frozen yogurt and sorbet - the best of both worlds.

Update on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 20:31 by mavenandmeddler

This would have been better had I not put huge fresh blackberries in it, and then froze it again. The blackberries - with a high water content - turned into blackberry ice cubes.

If you try it with the blackberries - or any fresh fruit, I suppose - then eat it pretty much immediately.

If you want to freeze it for later, then try nuts, coconut, chocolate chunks or dried fruit perhaps. Anything with a lower water content.

When it was fresh, with the fresh unfrozen blackberries, it was killer.