Make Ahead

Feta Frozen Yogurt with Blood Orange and Mint Granita!

March  2, 2010
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Greek yogurt and Greek feta were meant to be friends, and served along with the Blood Orange and Mint Granita, it's an orgy of ingredient love. Too weird? Not for me... Anyway! If you've never bought a little cup of greek yogurt and put it in the freezer for your own frozen yogurt treat, then you're really missing out. This little dish takes that guilty pleasure to a whole new level. Here in Texas, spring really is right around the corner; our days are getting warmer, so it is perfect timing for this icy goodness. Some fun facts: this dessert is super healthy, but you can add sugar if you want. Also, sheep's milk cheeses have the highest fat content and the least amount of lactose, so they are really easy on your belly. Lastly, despite my pictures (a bit melty) this frozen yogurt holds up really well, more like ice cream, once you let it firm up all the way. - Helenthenanny —Helenthenanny

Test Kitchen Notes

It's rare to come across a recipe that's both sophisticated and economical. Just four ingredients and three simple stages and you have a dessert that's easy enough to whip up for your kids and impressive enough for a dinner party. The granita offers a balanced sprinkling of bitterness and sweetness. And the frozen yogurt (which, by the way, gets very hard in the freezer; leave it out for a bit before scooping) is tangy with lashings of salt and honey. Make sure you use full-fat yogurt, and if you can't find honey-flavored, just buy plain and sweeten it with honey (we did it both ways and they worked out fine). And get ready for a grown-up, faintly subversive dessert. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the Feta Frozen Yogurt
  • 1/2 cup soft feta cheese, preferably fresh and packed in water.
  • 9 ounces honey flavored greek yogurt
  • For the Blood Orange and Mint Granita
  • 2 big fat juicy blood oranges
  • 1 handful mint leaves
  • maybe have a small lemon on hand in case your blood oranges are crazy sweet and you'd prefer a bit more acidity
  • possible garnishes: a drizzle of honey, your sister's pink peppercorn sugar cookies.
Directions
  1. Tune your iPod or Pandora Radio to Sarah Vaughan. Or Dinah Washington. Or just play Nancy Wilson's "Peel Me a Grape" on a loop.
  2. Get out your immersion blender, or beaters, or your whisk and gumption, and put your feta and 6 ounces of honey flavored greek yogurt into a freezer safe bowl. Now beat or blend those fellas til they are smooth. Don't worry if there are some tiny chunks of feta, they are going to be little salty bursts of flavor in this sweet dessert.
  3. Stir in the remaining 3 ounces of yogurt, cover with plastic wrap, and put in the freezer for a few hours or until frozen.
  4. Cut the blood oranges in half, run a knife around the inside rim, and gut them with a spoon. Put the guts into a bowl. Don't worry if a bit of rind goes in, we just want as much pulp and juice as possible.
  5. Squeeze any leftover juice from the orange peels. Zest the orange peels into the bowl. Throw in a handful of mint and immersion blend or food process the mixture til it is quite pulpy. Strain through a strainer. Compost the pulpy remains, or something, we're only using the beautiful blood orange juice infused with mint.
  6. Pour a thin layer of the liquid into a freezer safe baking dish (I used a round cake pan, it was gangbusters). Freeze for 2 to 3 hours, but do check on it frequently and rake through it with a fork every time it looks like the liquid is freezing, maybe every 30 minutes? Keep an eye out and fork handy, as I'm not sure how cold your freezer is or which pan you used. My granita looked like glittery flakes of blood orange ice after only an hour and a half or so.
  7. Scoop feta fro-yo into a pretty dish, top with granita, maybe with a drizzle of honey, and turn your music machine to Ella Fitzgerald's version of "Goody Goody," then eat your little treat standing up in the kitchen. And I hope you're satisfied, you rascal you!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • WanderingVoyager
    WanderingVoyager
  • fayehess
    fayehess
  • slulibby
    slulibby
  • Amanda Hesser
    Amanda Hesser
  • dani
    dani

71 Reviews

Chloe8 June 7, 2013
I'm totally a big fan of frozen yogurt!
 
WanderingVoyager October 10, 2012
This looks insanely delicious. I'm going to have to make this once it's citrus season again.
 
fayehess September 28, 2011
okay, that looks crazy good. And that purple sugar. I think I'm going to have put some of that in pendant and wear it's so pretty. xo
 
chickenetti August 30, 2011
Not only did this give me a new recipe to try, I added to my music playlist- great post (even if it's old)!
 
slulibby June 17, 2010
LOVE LOVE LOVE tangy frozen yogurt!
 
Amanda H. March 26, 2010
Any leftover frozen yogurt is really great served with chocolate ice cream (just did an official tasting...).
 
dani March 17, 2010
Can you believe my girls? I am one proud Mama.
 
Helenthenanny March 17, 2010
Thanks mom! : )
 
coffeefoodwrite March 17, 2010
Congrats! So deserved. I made this and it was delicious!
 
Helenthenanny March 17, 2010
Thank you thank you thank you!!! I am really happy that you liked it, that's the cherry on top for me!
 
arielleclementine March 17, 2010
YAHOO! oh boy, sister! well done and a big congratulations to the future mrs. richman!
 
Helenthenanny March 17, 2010
Thanks sister of my life!!! And also, psh, I wish!
 
EmilyNunn March 17, 2010
Congrats! I have to say, after I saw this one I just gave up on my melted feta, blood orange sauce, shrimp with mint contraption.

This just had "winner" written all over it. Keep up the good work!
 
Helenthenanny March 17, 2010
Thank you so much ENunn! I am bummed that you gave up on your shrimp contraption; I love the wording of that so much because it made me think it would look like a shrimp jewelry box (or some kind of gadget) filled with the melted feta and the mint and the blood orange sauce. And to that I say, A+! Thanks again : )
 
arielleclementine March 14, 2010
SISTER!! You've done it again! Yahoo!! It's such a happy little treat!
 
Helenthenanny March 14, 2010
Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters!!! p.s. I totally submitted those old Hatchback answers to the Food52 Dating Service, cross your fingers and lets start making excessive quantities of giant hamburgers!
 
arielleclementine March 14, 2010
hahahaa!! if you cook it, he will come...
 
aargersi March 17, 2010
Girls I am seriously contemplating a Food52 potluck / grill fest / pool party (cannonballs mandatory) late spring or early summer - we just need to tell AR that we will make some sort of massive dead cow part and I am sure he'll show up then Helen can take it from there!!!
 
coffeefoodwrite March 17, 2010
So wished I lived there. Massive cow parts or something I enjoy immensely!
 
Helenthenanny March 17, 2010
Yahoo aargersi!!! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes to all of it! and ps coffeefoodwritergirl, please come pay our town a visit, it is quite fun!!
 
shelleyanni March 13, 2010
yum yum yum yum yum!!!!! i LOVE this recipe! and i love rupee yellow dog even though he wants to eat my face :)
 
Helenthenanny March 14, 2010
Thank you Shelley!! You and Duncan have got to get to submitting some of your awesome recipes now! And I agree with Rupert, it is a very delicious looking face : }
 
Helenthenanny March 13, 2010
Holy Moly, just got back to the states and what a wonderful surprise!!! Thank you thank you thank you!
 
monkeymom March 12, 2010
Amazingly creative...and beautiful!
 
Helenthenanny March 13, 2010
Yay thank you!! And a big big congratulations on your win monkeymom!!
 
Furey A. March 11, 2010
What a fantastic idea this is. Your recipe instructions were so entertaining -- a welcome departure from the norm! AND your dog is precious. I'm a dog lover myself, we own a scrappy little Welsh Corgi we got from the pound.
 
Helenthenanny March 13, 2010
Thank you so much Furey and the Feast! Sorry for the delay getting back to you, I was out of town! And hooray for rescue dogs!! That yellow pup is actually my sister's. His name is Rupert and he is one pear-shaped bundle of love!
 
Kelsey B. March 11, 2010
What a yummy frozen treat, now if only the weather in NYC would warm up enough to start on frozen desserts again...
 
Helenthenanny March 13, 2010
Thank you!
 
mrslarkin March 11, 2010
Good luck, Helen!
 
Helenthenanny March 13, 2010
Yahoo, thank you mrslarkin, and good luck to you too!!!! What wonderful competition you are! ; )
 
drbabs March 11, 2010
How excited are helenthenanny and arielleclementine going to be when they get home from their cruise!
 
Helenthenanny March 13, 2010
SUPER EXCITED!!! Thanks drbabs!!
 
NakedBeet March 11, 2010
My kind of dessert, congrats!
 
Helenthenanny March 13, 2010
Thank you Naked Beet!!
 
Allison C. March 11, 2010
Congrats on another finalist recipe. You sisters seem unstoppable. This recipe really is amazing, though--deserves its standing.
 
Helenthenanny March 13, 2010
Thank you A.C. a lot!!!