Frozen Yogurt Parfait with Spiced Walnut Praline and Honey

This Greek-inspired frozen dessert layers thick, creamy strained yogurt with a vanilla-and-honey base, set into a smooth semifreddo-style parfait that slices cleanly from the freezer. A shatteringly crunchy spiced walnut praline — scented with cinnamon and orange zest — breaks over each slice, bringing the contrast of warm Greek pastry flavors to something elegantly cold. Made entirely the night before, it arrives at the table with no last-minute effort and looks like something from a Athenian patisserie.

Ingredients

• raw walnut halves – 1¼ cups
• granulated sugar – ½ cup
• water – 2 tablespoons
• ground cinnamon – ½ teaspoon
• orange zest – 1 teaspoon (from about half an orange)
• flaky sea salt – ¼ teaspoon

• large egg yolks (save whites for another use) – 4
• honey, preferably Greek thyme honey – ⅓ cup
• full-fat Greek yogurt, strained overnight if possible – 1½ cups
• pure vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
• fresh lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
• heavy cream, cold – 1 cup

• additional honey, for drizzling – 2 tablespoons
• reserved praline, roughly crushed – all of the above

Instructions

1. Make the praline. Line a small baking sheet with parchment and spread the walnut halves on it in a single layer. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat without stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once it's clear, let it cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until it turns a deep amber — around 350°F / 175°C on a candy thermometer, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat, quickly stir in the cinnamon, orange zest, and flaky salt, then immediately pour over the walnuts. Leave untouched for 30 to 40 minutes until fully hardened.
2. Once the praline is hard, break it into large shards, then pulse about two-thirds of it in a food processor or crush it inside a zip-lock bag with a rolling pin to varied rubble — some fine sandy bits, some larger chunks. Reserve the remaining shards for garnish. Set everything aside.
3. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with two layers of plastic wrap, leaving several inches of overhang on all sides. This overhang will fold back over the top later and will be what you use to lift the parfait free.
4. Make the honey-yolk base. In a stand mixer bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (not touching the water), whisk together the egg yolks and honey constantly until the mixture is pale, thickened, and registers 160°F / 71°C on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and whip with the whisk attachment on high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume, turned very pale, and the bottom of the bowl feels cool to the touch, about 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Whisk together the Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice in a large bowl until smooth. Gently fold the cooled yolk mixture into the yogurt with a large rubber spatula until just combined — no white streaks.
6. In the clean stand mixer bowl, whip the cold heavy cream with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until it holds soft, floppy peaks — it should look like melting ice cream, not stiff whipped cream. In two additions, fold the whipped cream into the yogurt-yolk mixture, using wide, confident strokes from the bottom of the bowl up and over. Stop when just uniform.
7. Scatter a generous layer of the crushed praline across the bottom of the lined loaf pan. Pour in half the yogurt cream mixture and smooth it with an offset spatula. Scatter another layer of crushed praline, then pour in the remaining mixture and smooth the top. Fold the plastic wrap overhang over the surface to cover completely. Freeze for at least 8 hours, or overnight — the parfait will keep well for up to 5 days in the freezer.
8. To serve, pull the parfait from the freezer 5 to 8 minutes before slicing — it should be firm but yield to a warm knife. Unwrap the top, invert onto a chilled serving plate, and peel away all the plastic wrap. Use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between each cut to slice into ¾-inch portions. Lay the larger praline shards on top, drizzle with honey, and serve immediately.