Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt with Pistachio Biscotti Bits Best Lick! 2008 Ice Cream Contest Entry #9

What inspired this recipe? Four years ago, I met my boyfriend, a native of India, in London (where I was studying). When we met, I had never even tasted Indian food, but since then, I’ve grown to love it and can cook many authentic dishes at home.

Mango lassi has long been one of our favorite Indian beverages, and I thought it would be fun to try and use those ingredients in an ice cream. I put another twist on it–and made it a little cross-cultural!–by incorporating pistachio biscotti into the mix. The end result was even better than I imagined and I’m already looking forward to another batch!

Tastetester comments and full recipe after the jump. Take a look, then vote here!

Tastetester Comments: “It’s so delicious, it’s a tropical reverie.” -Suraj (my boyfriend and taste-tester extraordinaire)

Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt with Pistachio Biscotti Bits
Makes about 1 quart

2/3 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon saffron (8 to 10 threads)
2 cups strained* or Greek-style whole-milk yogurt
1 cup pureed mango (approximately 2 mangoes, processed until smooth in food processor)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
1 teaspoon rosewater, optional
1 tablespoon vodka, optional
1 cup broken pistachio biscotti chunks (store-bought or homemade; see recipe below)

Combine saffron and half-and-half in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 to 45 seconds in the microwave. Set aside for approximately 20 minutes to allow saffron to diffuse in the liquid; the mixture will turn a lovely shade of light yellow.

In the meantime, combine yogurt, mango, sugar, cardamom, rosewater, and vodka in a mixing bowl. Once the half-and-half mixture is ready, add it the yogurt mixture. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Once thoroughly chilled, prepare the frozen yogurt as directed by your ice cream maker. When the cycle is complete, fold in the biscotti pieces with a spatula and transfer mixture to a container to freeze for at least 2 to 3 hours.

Serve frozen yogurt with extra pistachios on top and piece of whole biscotti on the side, if desired. (If you have any mango puree left over, this also makes a fabulous topping.)

* To make 2 cups of strained yogurt, place 4 cups of regular whole-milk yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth and place strainer over a bowl. Allow to drain for 4 to 6 hours in refrigerator (overnight is fine too). Discard liquid whey.

Notes on Ingredients:
–Strained or Greek-style yogurt is used in this recipe as it makes for a more rich and creamy final product. Regular whole-milk yogurt may substituted, if necessary, though other liquid ingredients may need to be reduced (try reducing half-and-half to ½ cup and mango puree to 2/3 cup).

–Saffron, rosewater, cardamom, and canned mango (or mango pulp) can be found at most Indian grocers. Look for Alphonso mangoes when choosing canned, as they are the most flavorful. Saffron is typically kept behind the counter, so be sure to ask for it.

–If you can’t find rosewater, substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

–Freshly ground cardamom is preferred in this recipe, as pre-ground cardamom has much less flavor. To grind cardamom, remove the black seeds from the cardamom pod, and grind with a mortar and pestle.

–Vodka makes the yogurt a little softer and therefore more scoop-able, as alcohol does not freeze. You can leave this out (or substitute with another alcohol) if you prefer.

Pistachio Biscotti
Adapted from the blog Baking Bites

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.

Whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, adding sugar gradually, at medium speed until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture by hand, just until combined, followed by pistachios.

Drop wet dough onto the baking sheet to form two rectangular logs (the size is up to you). With well-floured hands, shape the logs so that they are about 1-inch high and slightly dome-shaped on top. (Make sure to leave at least 2 inches of space between the logs, as they spread during baking.) Sprinkle tops of logs with coarse sugar, if desired.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. The logs should be light golden in color and spring back slightly when touched with a finger.

Remove from oven and lower oven temperature to 300F. Allow logs to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly warm, but not too hot to handle. Slice logs diagonally into ½-inch to 1-inch slices. Lay the slices (on their sides) back on the baking sheet.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes, then flip them and bake for another 15 minutes. If cookies are not firm, depending on how thickly they were sliced, turn again and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container (they keep really well in the freezer).

Makes 2 to 3 dozen, depending on how thickly you slice your pieces.

*It’s fine to substitute all purpose flour if you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour.

• The Best Lick! Ice Cream Contest: 2008 Edition

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• Chocolate Gelato with Salted Caramel Pecans
• Coconut Peach Ice Cream with Toasted Almonds
• Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Ice Cream
•

Blueberry Brie Tart Ice Cream

(Images: Amanda)