David Lebovitz: May Day Market and Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Recipe

Spring is always an exciting time at the outdoor markets no matter where you live, but here in Paris, there seems to be a collective sigh of relief that we've emerged victorious from a dreary winter. Monday is May 1st, a national holiday here in France. So todays market was a mob scene since most things will be closed tomorrow and we're all stocking up for the holiday weekend. But in spite of the crowds, and having my feet run over too many times by too many dames with their wheeled chariots (the SUV's of Paris), I managed to make it home with most of my toes intact...and made a batch of Strawberry Frozen Yogurt.

I saw these tomatoes and came to a grinding halt, as did the woman next to me (so we had a petit accident), but we were both transfixed on these tomatoes. And I'm sure you can see why. We poked and sniffed, discussing the merits of them and she walked away with a nice sack of them. I was lugging a few kilos of rhubarb and couldn't manage the crowds carrying a sack of fragile tomatoes since I seem to have rather bad luck carrying anything fragile amongst Paris.

These are called Nèfles in French. In English, they're Loquats. When I worked at Chez Panisse, neighbors would bring us cases of them thinking they were doing us a big favor, but we never could figure out what to do with them except pass them out amongst our coworkers in the kitchen to snack on. But I was never a big fan. They have little flesh and a big pit, and they don't have the unctuousness of fresh apricots nor much sweetness. Still, I think they're beautiful and if someone has any ideas for how to use them, let me know.

Some schoolchildren were selling sea sponges to raise money for something. Did you know that in France, kids go to school 6 days a week? They having Wednesday afternoon off, but have to attend classes on Saturdays. That like totally sucks for kids. I should have bought a sponge.

It's vital to make sure you have wine, since May 1st is a national holiday and everything is closed for the long weekend. Of course, there will be the prerequisite manifestation, or demonstration, for workers rights. Since I live in the Bastille, I'm at ground-zero for all strikes and demonstrations. One would think they would be more effective shouting (and drinking beer) in the streets of the more bourgeois neighborhoods, but I once tried to translate "Preaching To The Converted", but it just got blank stares back.
I guess that hasn't crossed anyone's mind but I think it would be nice if maybe they'd 'spread the wealth' and head over to the 7th or 16th arrondisements once in a while.

And what I also don't understand is if people are taking to the streets in fraternité with their co-workers, why do they plaster paper stickers promoting their causes on store windows, mail boxes, métro and bus stations, and any other surface they can, when they know that their compatriots are going to spend the next few days laboring at scraping them off?
(Not to mention picking up all the empty beer cans.)

At the markets right now there are piles and mounds of strawberries. The sweet, fruity scent pervades the air as you get closer to the stands. I always come home with a kilo (2 pounds), which costs about 3 euros (about $3.50) and I eat as many as I can during their season. Some people swoon for the pale gariguette berries, which are slender and pointed, although I've tried them several times and don't find them much better than the everyday Chandler variety that's normally available.

While at the market this week, being such a good customer, I got a deal on a large flat of strawberries so after much jam-making, I decided to take my ice cream maker out for a spin and whip up a batch of Strawberry Frozen Yogurt.

Unlike the crap at the mall, real frozen yogurt is made from plain, whole-milk yogurt, fresh fruits, and some sweetener. Although some people like to drain their yogurt first for a richer end-result, I prefer the lighter style of frozen yogurt. You can use Greek-style yogurt, which is three times richer than whole milk yogurt. Slicing the berries and tossing them in sugar makes the strawberries bright red in color and can make ho-hum berries quite delicious.

French yogurt is astoundingly good and I suggest you use a good-quality, locally-produced yogurt for similar results.

1 pound (450 g) strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
optional: 2 teaspoons vodka or kirsch
1 cup (240 g) plain, whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Slice the strawberries into small pieces. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch (if using) until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring every so often.

Transfer the strawberries and their juice to a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt and fresh lemon juice. Pulse the machine until the mixture is almost smooth. If you wish, press mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds.

Chill for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Note: My newest toy around here is my Cuisinart ICE 50 Ice Cream Maker. It has built-in refrigeration so you just switch it on and pour in your mixture, so you can have freshly-made ice cream or sorbet just about anytime you want. It's priced far less than other comparable units and I've been using mine frequently for the past few months and truly love it. It's a bit of an investment, but mine's been terrific.
A more economical model, which produces great ice cream as well, is the Cuisinart Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker, which requires pre-freezing.

Ah the life of markets. Miss it all!
As to your strawberry frozen Yogurt, I would so much love some now as it looks gorgeously gopod! I am in a true strawberry, raspberry, fruits rouges mood! Just made a charlotte....;-)

gosh david,
i was just discussing with my mom today that i think you and i are on the same wavelength in general cuz you always take the words right out of my mouth. and then you have to post this. i went to a farmers market in west hollywood this morning and got a killer deal on strawberries. i bought them impulsively, with no plan in mind, and living alone, i have no clue how to milk these before they bite the dust!! but i thought i'd recommend to you, if you've never tried a vacuum sealed container before, i bought one just for the purpose of keeping strawberries. they last over a week that way. now i must buy yogurt cuz you tempt me! :)

sigh. sigh. sigh. i can practically smell your strawberries.

i was gonna be all super jealous and stuff, but then i remembered that i live in california now. i should be able to gain access to some of this stuff, right? sans chariots?

your tomatoes are HOT!!!

It may be a teensy bit cruel, but I can't wait to tell my fourth graders that kids in France go to school six days a week. They will be shocked. I feel sorry for their teachers, unless they get paid a LOT more than I do.

What gorgeous pictures. My mouth is watering. I didn't realize you were in Texas recently. I took one of your classes before you moved to Paris and I've been on your list and I'm so glad you now have a blog. I hope to sign up for one of your tours next year.

Those French strawberries look amazing. I bought apple-sized Driscoll's this weekend...They must infuse the plastic boxes with fragrance, because the flavor was M.I.A. :( This picture reminds me of being in Monoprix, when a sales person encouraged me to ignore the Spanish berries and only buy the French :)

Loquats are quite common in south of Turkey, on the Med coast. I grew up in a house where we had 2 loquat trees and never got enough of them. Usually consumed just they are; could be very tasty if they are sweet enough. In the city of Gaziantep, also known as the baklava capital of Turkey and a culinary treasure, they make kebaps with them: make your usualy kebap mix and place one piece of kebap, one piece of seeded loquats, grill and enjoy! Once they are in season here (northern california) I will be posting them on my website...

Loquat season in my country nearly ends, my parents have a tree in their yard and we use the fruit for making jam, sorbet or in cakes; to all we add cinnamon. I don't complain.
David, you're the expert with the imaginative thinking.

David, it didn't mention in the recipe-- how much kirsch/vodka do you add to the macerating strawberries?

(I personally like Chambord in ANY strawberry recipe, along with the lemon juice, but I'm a sucker for strawberries with a raspberry kick... AND I have a friend who works at a hotel and can get me those incredibly cute little weensy minibar orbs of the stuff, so I'm spoiled...)

Oops. I added the kirsch and/or wodka amount. Sorry. My modem started smoking and burnt out this weekend due to 'currency fluctuations' and was trying to blog leading out over the roof, capturing a neighbors signal.

I'll get some loquats and give them another chance this week. As I said, I think they're lovely, but I guess when I bite into them, I'm expecting something else, perhaps apricots, since they resemble them. And those tomatoes didn't have much of a fragrance, but they sure looked pretty!

Wow, what a great post! I have a loquat tree in my backyard and have tried baking with them before but it never turns out quite right. I have found that the best solution is to just eat them as a healthy snack as well!

~Dianka
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/

Noticed that your photo file called the tomatoes "savoie" -- is that the variety, per chance? They look as if they are an heirloom variety. It is great to see a lot of good nurseries in the U.S. now offer all different kinds of heirloom tomatoes for Spring planting. Mr. Stripey, Brandywine, Black Prince, etc., etc. Time to get planting .....

Loquats are called biwa in Japanese. You can find loquat jellies and teas here in Japan, or you could make tarts!

http://kokonuggetyumyum.blogspot.com/2005/06/biwa-loquat-tarts-ume-jam-tarts.html

That tomato picture is a gem. I am really stunned by that. It makes me weep with envy! I love your site. fabulous!

I just started my own blog after writing recipes professionaly for a few years. My Life As A Reluctant Housewsife

David- Could you please tell me what brand of French yogurt you find to be "astonishingly good?" I have lived here for nearly 20 years (in fact we are obviously neighbors and shop at the same market on Sundays) and I find French yogurt to be appalling mostly because of Danone's stranglehold on the French market. And don't get me started on the dearth of organic yogurt! Going back to the US every summer one of the first things I indulge in is Brown Cow...with every drop of "cream on top." I have tried every source in Paris: Monoprix, outdoor market, health food stores; but I have obviously missed one. Please share!
I also stopped to gape at those tomatoes on Sunday. They are called "coeur de boeuf" and I believe they are the same as the beefsteak tomatoes in the US, albeit a touch sweeter.
I agree with your nefle assessment. I'll be watching this space to see if your readers weigh in with some good ideas.
Last thing: kids here go to school only 5 days/week as there is no school on Wednesdays and only every other Saturday (if that.) Private schools tend to have the Mon-Fri schedule with a half day on Weds (AM only.)
Cheers!
happi

Hmmm, I buy yogurt in the fromageries in the little glass pots and find them excellent (although I buy the supermarket stuff with Bifidus in it as well, for my health since many experts believe there's nothing in yogurt that's really especially good for you, except that bacteria.)

I lived right near where Brown Cow started and used to like it, but now I find it's too gunky (and it gave me a muffin-top) and in SF would buy Strauss yogurt. A friend with 2 children in Normandy told me about the hours/days her kids go to public school (half-day on wednesday + saturday.) Perhaps the kids in Paris get a break, or yours are just telling you there's no school those days...to play hookey!

I made frozen yogurt for the first time last week with very unhappy results. The recipe I tried called for milk and gelatin, which I thought was a bit odd, in addition to the yogurt, vanilla, etc. Needless to say, it put me off making frozen yogurt forever ... until I saw this recipe. This looks very simple and quite delicious. I assume the alcohol will keep it from freezing rock-solid, yes? Hmm, I wonder why that other (nasty) recipe called for gelatin ...

Tania: It's hard to replicate the 'scoop-ability' of store-bought ice cream. Home machines don't whip much air into ice cream so it's bound to be denser and harder to scoop. Some people do use gelatin to improve the texture, but I never do. Alcohol, fat, and sugar keep homemade ice cream softer so that's why I add a bit of alcohol (and for flavor.) In general, you can add up to 1 tablespoon of alcohol per cup of ice cream or sorbet mixture. You can also use high-fat Greek-style yogurt as well or drain whole-milk yogurt yourself.

Ooh, those strawberries. All the shots of the produce are just spectacular, David. And who is that sassy man making a face behind that stall? Hm. I'm jealous of hell of your fresh produce. Luckily, the farmers' markets open here this week!

I have to make this strawberry frozen yogurt this weekend.

You totally should have bought a sponge.

David- Thanks for the yogurt tip. I haven't tried that circuit in years. I also look for the live cultures (bifidus et al) which doesn't seem to be a big deal here. For a blip of time you could get an awesome Irish yogurt with all 4 (?) of the main live yogurt cultures at Monoprix but those days are long gone, alas.
I can't even begin to fathom what "muffin head" is but I know lots of people don't care for Brown Cow. I have heard great things about Strauss but I rarely make it to the West coast. Perhaps I'll be able to find it in NY?
As for the school set up, mine would love to play hooky but she's not even 8 yet ;-) Maybe the Normand schedule is to keep the kids off the mean streets of Normandy...
Re: the frozen yogurt recipe (or any ice cream recipe) is there any way to make it without an ice cream maker?
Cheers.
happi

Thanks so much for the Strawberry Frozen Yogurt recipe. My wife made it yesterday (with vodka, no straining) with $1/pound surprisingly fresh, imported-from-Mexico, non-organic strawberries and Greek-style whole milk yogurt from Trader Joe's. It came out TERRIFIC -- better than any strawberry ice cream or gelato we've ever made. It's soft and it really tastes just like the berries.

We were curious about a few things:
- Would this work with other fruit? We've been looking to make a mango ice cream.
- Could you use a sour cream instead of yogurt?

Again, thanks for the great recipe -- keep up the great blogging!

Thanks for all your tips about the jam. I keep circling the loquats, thinking of buying some, but in the end come home sans loquats. Must be a guy-thing.

JPS: I don't know about substituting other fruits. If you use the exact same amount of fruit puree it should work. Sour cream works very well in this recipe too.

Haappi: Maybe one of my readers will leave a comment here describing what a 'muffin top' is. It's very American to give 'that' a term like that...and really funny, I think. Unless, of course, you're the one with the muffin top. Then (speaking for personal experience) it ain't all that funny.

David - as to the loquats. Go without. They aren't going to taste any better this time. We have three loquat trees in our yard and they are fan-tastic. However, every single loquat I've bought was much less flavorful - and this in a country where they are not imported, or transported far distances, etc. So, if you find yourself confronted with a loquat tree (the season just ended, sorry) - that's when you want to try a loquat. Or a whole handful, because they are addictive!

(and I love this blog - it is reminding me of all the wonderful things I enjoyed about Paris, as well as some of the not-so-wonderful) :-) I lived not far from where you are - I lived near the Bastille area, too.

Dear David, I just want to thank you for this wonderful frozen yoghurt recipe, it's absolutely fantastic! I've blogged about it today and translated your recipe into Hungarian if you don't mind. Thanks again!

I was at your local Bastille market this very Sunday morning (have just got back to Edinburgh few hours ago:), and saw these nèfles as well. Totally new to me - until I read your post, that is! The market itself was busy and wonderful, too bad I could only squeeze some wild asparagus, fresh bay leaves and aromatic light green oblong peppers into my bag..