July 13

When I think of certain foods, I marvel at human ingenuity to be able to transform the raw products into some of our most beloved foods. Chocolate is a great example. How did people look at a pod on a tree and decide to ferment, dry, roast, and liquify it into chocolate? How did people think that fermenting cabbage in a clay pot and burying it underground for months would be delicious? But alas, Kimchi proves us wrong. On the other hand, ice cream and it’s whole family, which includes frozen yogurt and sorbet, I understand. As I sit in my apartment, baking in the stifling heat, I understand why we figured out a way to freeze dairy, churning it until it is silky smooth and flavouring it with a countless number of delicious, fresh, vibrant flavors to enjoy during these hot summer months. I have been waiting for this type of weather for a long time now to try out this raspberry cardamom frozen yogurt.

Over the winter, I spotted a pint of raspberry cardamom ice cream at our local organic grocery store. It definitely caught my eye, standing out from all of the beautiful flavours it stood next to. At the time, I made a note to myself that when ruby red raspberries were bountiful and in season, this would be the first frozen treat that I made. Raspberry and cardamom just sounded like a dreamy combination. Both are strong, unmistakable flavors. I love the taste of cardamom but I struggle to think of interesting ways to use it. Most often, it ends up in my chai tea or pancakes, so this idea sat on my list of blog ideas for a few months.


In the past, I’ve always turned to making ice cream, but after looking into the process of making frozen yogurt, it was even more appealing. Mostly, because it was less of a process. There was no need to turn on the stove. No need to make a custard. No need to use anything as the base other than some yogurt. No need to buy heavy cream and not know what to do with the leftovers. And no chilling time required (as long as your yogurt and fruit has been refrigerated). It all sounded so simple, until I actually tried it. I have to say, my frozen yogurt experiments tested my patience. I had to make three completely different recipes before I got to one that was scoopable from the freezer. The others were delicious straight from the ice cream machine but they were rock hard once they were frozen. I can’t tell you how happy I was when I woke up this morning and could easily scoop out a spoonful of the latest batch. Luckily, the recipe that happened to work was also the simplest, least time consuming, and healthiest of them all: win-win!

The result is creamy and satisfying. The color pops like I never could have imagined, it doesn’t even look natural. Each bite has some tart fruitiness to it that is balanced by the honey. The cardamom and raspberry are even better together than I could have imagined. Of course, if you aren’t a cardamom lover, you can very easily leave it out and go for a straightforward raspberry frozen yogurt, but I encourage you to give it a try. I also made a blueberry version (without the cardamom, and it was delicious). As my freezer space will continue to be limited (because of these guys), I will definitely have to prioritize my frozen treats this summer, and this is currently at the top of my list.