Making frozen treats can be easy, creative and fun
Summer officially started Sunday. But the recent humid weather has reminded us that Mother Nature doesn't follow a calendar.
When you are sticky with sweat, nothing tastes better than an icy treat on a stick. A pop is the perfect break from mowing the lawn, weeding the garden or playing in the yard. Even if you aren't engaged in strenuous summer activity, it's a nice treat while relaxing on the front porch.
But we thought we could do better than the rainbow-colored varieties in the grocery store's freezer section.
We were emboldened to try to by two people: Summer Bicknell, owner of Locopops, a string of Mexican-inspired paleta shops in North Carolina that have served more than a half-million pops in four years, and Krystina Castella, the author of "Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone."
"There's a lot more to a pop than just Kool-Aid in a Popsicle mold," Castella says.
At Locopops, Bicknell creates such flavors as coconut ginger, pineapple basil, even Thai rice pudding. Castella's book offers recipes ranging from Thai iced coffee and Southern sweet tea to tiramisu and lychee bubble tea.
Frozen pops offer an opportunity to have some fun with your children in the kitchen this summer, to impress your friends with a unique dinner party dessert or palate-cleansing course, or simply to indulge what Castella calls your inner "kidult."
Summer Bicknell and Krystina Castella offer these tips for your own pop experiments:
Bases can be juices (homemade or store-bought), fruit purees, yogurt, pudding, ice cream, sherbet, coffee or tea. The last two have to be brewed to double strength because freezing dulls the flavor.
Molds can be as fancy as the Tovolobrand ones, which come in grooved rectangles, stars and rocket shapes. Those cost about $10. Otherwise, use plastic or paper cups, ice cube trays or silicone cupcake molds.
The Tovolo molds come with sticks that snap onto the top of the molds. If you prefer wooden sticks, you will have to let the pops freeze for at least an hour before inserting the stick so it will stand up straight.
Freeze time depends on the type of mold. Ice-cube trays take two hours at most, while a stand-up mold will take eight hours.
Always taste the pop for sweetness before freezing. Remember, freezing dulls flavors. If it tastes fine, add a pinch or two more sugar.
Be careful when combining citrus flavors with yogurt. There is a chance the mixture might curdle, although we didn't have any trouble when we tested it.
When adding an herb flavor to a pop, add the herb (rosemary, thyme, mint) to a heavy simple syrup. Bring two parts sugar to one part water (such as 1 cup sugar to Z\x cup water) to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Add the herb at the beginning. When the syrup cools, strain the herb out and add as much syrup as necessary to the pop base.
If you want to add chocolate chips, fruit or other edible items to the pop, don't use heavy items because they will sink to the bottom. Mini chocolate chips work better than regular-size chips.
After removing the pops from the molds, wave them in the air for about 10 seconds to reharden the outer layer. Wrap each pop in a plastic sandwich bag and place all the pops in a larger plastic freezer bag to prevent freezer burn.
2 kiwifruit, peeled and cut into quarters1 cup fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled¼ cup water1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)One drop vanilla extractPurée kiwi and strawberries in food processor or blender with water and sugar. If mixture is too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is easily poured but not runny.Taste for sweetness. If it tastes perfect before freezing, add a pinch or two more sugar, as flavors tend to diminish when frozen.Pour into pop molds and freeze at least eight hours.To remove from mold, run hot water over bottom and sides of pop mold for five seconds. Repeat for five seconds if needed. Serve immediately.Makes 4 (6-ounce) pops.From Summer Bicknell of Locopops.
1 mango1½ cups plain yogurt (regular, low-fat or fat-free)2 to 3 teaspoons sugar, or to tastePeel mango and cut fruit away from pit. Discard pit. Purée mango flesh in food processor or blender.In a bowl, stir yogurt until smooth and creamy (no lumps). Add sugar and pureed mango and stir to blend thoroughly. Taste for sweetness. If it tastes perfect before freezing, add a pinch or two more sugar; flavors tend to diminish when frozen.Pour into pop molds and freeze at least eight hours. To extract, run hot water over bottom and sides of pop mold for five seconds. Repeat for five seconds if needed. Serve immediately.Alternatives: Try fresh blueberries or strawberries instead. Generally, you need only ½ cup of fruit purée to 12 ounces yogurt. Just remember to taste for sweetness, as fruits vary.Makes 6 (6-ounce) pops.From Summer Bicknell of Locopops.
1½ cups seedless red grapes, cut in half4½ cups white grape juiceDivide grape halves among the pop molds. Pour in the grape juice.If using wooden pop sticks, freeze for 1½ hours to 2 hours and then insert the sticks. Continue freezing for a total of 6 hours.Remove from freezer. Let stand at room temperature for five minutes before removing the pops from the molds.Yield: 6 (6-ounce) pops.From "Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone," by Krystina Castella (Quirk Books).
