Peach & Cardamom Frozen Yogurt Terrine

Ice cold, creamy and bursting with summer flavour, this Peach & Cardamom Frozen Yogurt Terrine is the perfect dessert to pull out of the freezer at the end of a BBQ garden party. Super ripe, juicy peaches are combined with Greek yogurt flavoured with a touch of cardamom and vanilla, stirred into whipped cream, and then set in the freezer. It’s elegant, refreshing, and guaranteed to impress.

Peaches in Season: Sweetness at Its Best

Peaches, like strawberries, are one of those fruits that are almost unbeatable when in season. But also like strawberries, they never seem to last very long. Every time I buy some, I carefully check them over in the shop, only to come home and discover that a few are already so ripe they’ve begun to leak their sugary nectar.

No matter how great they are, I can’t go through a kilo of them in a day. Luckily, extremely ripe peaches are perfect for preserving and making summer deserts.

I used to make a lot of frozen terrines regularly in a restaurant I worked in, though those versions were far sweeter, often layered with honeycomb and marbled with butterscotch sauce. I used to like making them, but personally found them too sweet to eat much. At home, I started experimenting with different fruits instead, and soon realised that the natural, intense sweetness of ripe peaches makes the perfect substitution.

I added cardamom, because I think that the slight citrus flavour and floral fragrance work really well in summer desserts. If you disagree with me, feel free to skip it.

Ingredients Breakdown

Peaches
The key flavour of the dessert— sweet, juicy, and fragrant. You want to make sure they are super ripe, otherwise you will be missing out on a lot of the flavour and sweetness.

Greek Yogurt
Adds creaminess while keeping the dessert lighter than an ice cream. Fat content is important here to help it set without forming too many crystals. Aim for 10% fat.

Double Cream
Whipped to firm peak and folded in to make the terrine airy and smooth. Without it, the terrine would freeze too hard.

Icing Sugar
Balances tang and sweetness. Don’t try to omit the sugar. It’s needed to prevent ice crystals from forming.

It does this by lowering the freezing point of the mixture, giving it time to freeze more evenly. Sugar also binds water molecules, meaning less free water is available to form ice crystals.

Honey
Added with the peaches to make a puree. Can be skipped if the peaches are extremely ripe.

Cardamom
I think cardamom goes extremely well in summery desserts. If you disagree and think I’m being weird, feel free to skip it. If using, crack the main hull open to release the little seeds, and crush well with a mortar and pestle.

Vanilla
Same reason as for the cardamom, although a little more conventional. I used fresh beans and scraped out the seeds, but extract would be fine too.

Lemon Juice

Just a squeeze when pureeing the peaches to offset the sweetness.

Recommended Equipment

While this terrine doesn’t require any fancy tools, having the right equipment will make things much easier:

• A kitchen machine or electric hand mixer is ideal for whipping the cream quickly and evenly without giving you arm cramps.
• A food processor will give you the smoothest peach purée, though a stick blender works perfectly well if that’s what you have on hand. Just note that you will have to hand chop them pretty small if opting to use a stick blender.

At the very least, you’ll want a stick blender for puréeing, but investing in a good mixer will save you time and effort when making whipped desserts like this.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1) Prepare the Tin

Line a loaf tin (with a volume of around 1 litre) with cling film or baking paper, leaving overhang for easy lifting. Oiling the tin lightly before applying the lining can also make it easier to remove later on. 

2) Prepare the Peaches

Stone 4 peaches. Purée 3 with honey and lemon juice until smooth, then dice the last one into small cubes.

If you want to peel them, it will make the puree smoother, but it can be annoying sometimes. I don’t bother with it, as I think peach skin is pleasant to eat.

You can peel them the same way you would a tomato. Make an X with a sharp knife and let sit in boiling hot water for 30 seconds to a minute. Dunk in cold water to chill and the skin “should” slide off (they don’t always play nicely)

4) Whip the Cream

Whip to medium to firm peak. Having an electric whisk or mixing machine will make this a lot nicer and quicker.

Take care not to overwhip it, or it will go grainy. It should hold its shape but still look smooth.

5) Mix it all Together

In a large bowl, mix the Greek yogurt, icing sugar, vanilla, and cardamom until smooth.

Then carefully fold in the whipped cream. Be very careful not to over mix it here. We don’t want to cause the whipped cream to collapse.

5) Divide the Mixture

Split into two bowls. One third in one bowl, and two thirds in the other. Stir the peach purée into the bowl with two thirds (peach layer) and keep the other third just vanilla-cardamom flavoured.

6) Layer the Terrine

Sprinkle half the diced peach on the base of the tin. Then spread half the peach yogurt mix. Smoother with a spatula and then add all the peachless mix. Smoothen again, and then add the rest of the peach yogurt mix. Sprinkle remaining diced peach over the terrine.

Tip: Tap the tin gently on the counter to remove air pockets.

7) Freeze

Cover tightly with cling film and freeze for at least 8 hours, or overnight, until firm.

8) Remove from the Tin

Lift out of the tin by gently lifting the lining. If it is being stubborn and not coming out, you can either fill a sink with hot water and submerge the base of the tin to warm up the outer layer slightly, or use a blow torch to the same effect.

To make clean slices, submerge a knife in hot water and dry before slicing. It will go through much easier and more cleanly than an unheated one.

9) Enjoy

I garnished mine with a peach cardamom syrup and toasted almonds. I guess a couple of wedges of fresh peaches would also look nice, and perhaps a sprig of mint.