Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Social Summer: So Icy!


Summer is in full swing and so many things spark nostalgia. Hearing the ice cream truck ride through my neighborhood made me remember hot afternoons that were often calmed by cold, frozen treats. So, in the spirit of "cool summer moments", I thought it would be fun to post popsicle recipes that you can make at home. Also, some of these would be great with a little *ahem* help from some of your favorite "elixirs". Go for it and cool out!


Lemon-Blueberry Twist Pops
Drain one 15-ounce can of blueberries, reserving the juice. Set aside 1/3 cup of the blueberries. Puree the remaining berries and 1 tablespoon of juice in blender. Fold in the reserved berries. In a small bowl, whisk two 6-ounce cups of custard-style lemon yogurt with 1/2 cup of milk. In pop molds or 3-ounce paper cups, alternate 2 rounded tablespoons of the yogurt mixture with 1 tablespoon of blueberry mixture. Swirl with knife, cover and freeze.

Use canned blueberries instead of fresh or frozen because they are packed in juice and the flavor is concentrated. Also, canned blueberries are available all over the country, all year long.

It's also important to use thick custard-style yogurt because it contains less water and will not separate when frozen.

Raspberry Pops
Combine 1-1/2 cups fresh raspberries, 1 cup raspberry juice drink, and 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup (or creme de cassis) in a blender and process until smooth. Add one or two raspberries to the pop molds or 3-ounce paper cups. Fold an additional cup of raspberries into the blended mixture and spoon into the molds or cups. Cover and freeze until firm.

Mandarin Orange Cream Pops
Place one 11-ounce can of mandarin orange sections (drained) in a blender and pulse to puree. Add two cups softened vanilla ice cream and 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest and pulse until well blended. Spoon the mixture into pop molds or 3-ounce paper cups. Cover and freeze until firm. For a lower-calorie recipe, halve the vanilla ice cream and add 1 cup of orange sherbet.

Mint-Melon Pops
Puree 1-1/2 cups cantaloupe chunks and 1 tablespoon of orange juice in a blender. Divide the mixture between pop molds or 3-ounce paper cups. Freeze until the top becomes firm, 30 minutes. Rinse the blender, then puree 1-1/2 cups honeydew chunks, 1 tablespoon of thawed limeade concentrate, and 2 mint leaves. Remove the molds from freezer and top with the honeydew mixture. Cover and freeze.

General Tips
Molds - You can buy popsicle molds almost anywhere, but you can also experiment with paper cups, conical water-cooler cups, ice cube trays and even tart tins.

Sticks - Standard popsicle sticks are widely available - everywhere from arts and crafts stores to Williams-Sonoma. You can also buy skinny sticks that look more like lollipop sticks. The old-fashioned kind still works best.

Freezing - It will take about three hours for your popsicles to freeze through completely. You can push a stick into the pop after it's been in the freezer for an hour or so.

Real Simpler - Anyone who doesn't want to take the time to make popsicles can add chunks of fruit to ice cube trays with a splash of water. Drop these colorful cubes into sparkling water, teas or fruit juice for a special touch when entertaining.

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