Introduction: Edible Zombie Eyeballs!!!
Here's how to make a tasty fruit treat that looks like zombie eyeballs, and is actually good for you!
Step 1: You Will Need:
Longan - This is an asian fruit similar to lychee. It should be available in the asian section of any big grocery store. It has the taste and texture sort of like a pear.
Fat-free plain yogurt
Blueberries (frozen or fresh)
Zip-top plastic quart bag (the freezer kind, they are thicker and more sturdy)
Frozen fruit juice - Apple/Cherry or any other red kind
Strainer
(optional)
Fat-free sweetened condensed milk
Alternatives:
Lychee instead of longan (a little sweeter, but a little harder to work with)
Cream cheese instead of yogurt
Raspberries instead of blueberries
Step 2: Strain the Yogurt Overnight
This is to give it a thicker, more cream cheese-like consistency.
Put the yogurt into a strainer. Break it up as you remove it from the container. This helps the liquid to drain easier than leaving it in one big block.
Cover it with plastic wrap and leave it overnight in the refrigerator. Be careful of having any unsealed onions or other aromatic item as the yogurt will absorb those odors.
Step 3: The Next Day, Remove the Yogurt.
Dump the whey that has drained out into the bowl, and put the yogurt back in the original container. (I haven't found a good use for the whey as I'm sure there's some nutrition being wasted, so if anyone knows, please let me know!)
The yogurt should have a soft cheesy-like consistency. It will have reduced by about half its volume. The leftovers can be used as a healthful and non-fat alternative to sour cream or cream cheese in many cases.
Step 4: Prepare the Longan.
Strain and drain. The bowl shapes tend to hold on to a lot of liquid so be sure to shake it up well to get most of it out.
Step 5: Prepare the Piping Bag.
Dump the yogurt into the zip-top bag. If you want a sweeter taste, this is the time to add the fat-free sweetened condensed milk. Be aware that this will thin the consistency quite a bit. I found with this last batch the contrast of tart and sweet is better without it, and it's easier to make a better looking presentation.
Squeeze out as much air as possible, then seal it.
Move as much of the yogurt to one corner as you can.
Scrunch up the "empty" part, and while holding firmly, but not pressing hard, cut a small corner off the tip of the bag where the yogurt is.
Step 6: Pipe the Yogurt Into the Longan.
Do not overfill! You still need room for the blueberry. A few that are overfilled can produce a nice "gooshy" effect, but the overall appearance is neater if you fill them just shy of the top.
Step 7: Place a Blueberry in Each Piece.
Careful not to press too hard, or you get an avalanche!
Step 8: Now for the Really Icky Part!
Thaw the fruit juice but do not add any water to it. Just before serving, spoon it over each longan piece, trying to dribble some over the sides. If you do it right it runs into the valleys on the fruit and looks really gross.
You could also reduce the fruit juice beforehand to make it thicker by boiling it slow and low to remove some of the water.
Step 9: Mmmmmm! Fresh Eyeballs!!!
This is a non-fat, low sugar, and fruit-filled concoction that's good for you!
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21 Comments
14 years ago on Introduction
my friend has lots of foreign foods for lunch each day , he had lychee juice one day neither him nor I could figure out exactly what a lychee is...
Reply 7 years ago
In Hawaii, they grow on trees over 50' tall! they are bright red and there are THOUSANDS of them.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
they're a tropical fruit! they look insanely cool raw...like big pink spiky pom-poms! :) I had some in Costa Rica
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
cool!
7 years ago
I've heard MANY times about straining yogurt through cheesecloth or a strainer, but I've never gotten it to work right. It always seems to clog up and stop draining after a very few minutes. I have a foolproof way, but it's messy.
1. Add about 3.5 C. of powdered milk to the yogurt as you are adding the culture.
2. I like to use Greek God Greek Yogurt for my starter. BEST EVER tasting home made yogurt from this.
3. Tear an old bedsheet or pillowcases into rectangles about the size of a kitchen hand towel, and also keep an old hand towel available.
4. Lay the sheet piece down on the towel on a flat surface.
5. spread the yogurt on it, then cover with another piece of sheet and another kitchen towel.
6. The towel will absorb a LOT of the moisture from the yogurt. Then you can scrape what's left onto a fresh piece of sheet and continue this until the end result looks a LOT like cream cheese.
7. I use it to make cream cheese frosting and the flavor is MUCH better than commercial cream cheese, plus it's loaded with awesome probiotics.
7 years ago on Introduction
OMG! These look horrible... but great at the same time!
14 years ago on Step 3
If you make yogurt and cheese as often as we do, you'll have a lot of whey on your hands. You can also use it in place of milk or water in any baking you do. We make a pot of beans only once in a while, but bake something every day of the week...so never throw that whey away!
14 years ago on Step 3
Add the whey to a pot of beans; you'll end up with a complete protein. (Thank you, Alton Brown)
14 years ago on Introduction
You can stir in a couple tablespoons of very fine confectioners (berry) sugar when it's done... just don't stir it hard or the yogurt cheese will turn a bit runny. Tastes great, and has a thicker consistency than with the condensed milk. Excellent idea! It's a brilliant idea, thanks for sharing!
14 years ago on Introduction
Oh, this is too much fun! For the record, if you live in an ethnically diverse area, you can perhaps buy Labnan or Greek yogurt which is already a soft cheese consistency, thereby cutting down in the straining time.
14 years ago on Introduction
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,whey,FF.html
Check here for recipes using whey or do a google search for "whey recipes." Healthy :)
And thanx for the eyeballs - saving them for SIL's med. school graduation.
14 years ago on Step 6
pinoy ka dibo????
14 years ago on Introduction
Do you think whipped and softened cream cheese might work in place of the yogurt?
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Sounds like a good idea!
14 years ago on Introduction
But... eating zombie flesh turns you into one!
14 years ago on Introduction
those look like some good eyeballs, will try this Halloween!!
14 years ago on Step 9
wonder how it will be with lychees yum 5/5
14 years ago on Introduction
Yummy! They look great too!
14 years ago on Introduction
Oh, sounds good! that looks so AWESOME.
14 years ago on Introduction
Fantastic. I'm definitely giving this a try with my kids. Thanks.