Beat the Heat with Popsicles!
Hello there!
Yes yes, curse me. I've been gone way to long. I'm not going to say that I've been burdened with exam stress, that wouldn't be the whole truth. But yes, its a part of it. Apart from being busy with exam preparation, I've just been really, well, lazy. Not anymore though! Of course I'll be gone for two more weeks because I have exams from the 18th! Its time to be a nerd!! I've been thinking so much about what I want to make/do after the exams are done that I think I'm daydreaming a lot more than studying. Happens with everyone, no?
Anyhow, moving on to popsicles (Brace yourselves for any extra lengthy post)! The heat is killing me and I'm pretty sure its killing you too, if you live in India. Some afternoons are downright brutal.
So, I was surfing Pinterest one lazy afternoon and came across one particularly colourful popsicle. It looked beautiful! I just knew I had to make popsicles!! So, I looked at a few recipes and realized they were incredibly easy to make. Fruit juice, water and sugar and thats it. Perfectly easy, tasty and no fuss summer treats! If summer is being too harsh on you, trust these ice candies to make you feel better.
Now I can't give you perfect measurements for these as it entirely depends on how sweet the fruit is and how much water it holds and of course, your taste. You can make a simple sugar syrup or add sugar directly to the mix, you choose. I came up with a few flavours on my own and that is the most exciting part! There are endless possibilities, so let your imagination run wild! There are so many flavour variations; I can't emphasize it enough. I made 11 in total! I had 12 in mind but I didn't make the 12th one, no reason, just didn't feel like. But I have a feeling now it would be really good.
The 11 flavours I made are
1. Orange Coriander (Don't cringe, its tastes good!)
2. Chilly Pops (Inspired by the famous 'Bachelor's' chilly ice cream.)
3. Melgo ( A combination of mango and melon!)
4. Melon Lemon.
5. Waterjellyon! (Okay, that just sounds silly.)
6. Minty Watermelon.
7. Ginger Lemonmint.
8. Pompous Pomegranate (And Alliteration! How clever, no?)
9. Pannah (The Raw Mango juice ka frozen version.)
10. Tarty Kiwi
11. Graporange.
POPSICLES.
I've come up with the flavours on my own, though of course, I've seen a couple recipes to see how to make them. Inspiration from Pinterest.
Like i said there really is no recipe for making these, its just what you like and don't. The following are the ways I did it.
1. ORANGE CORIANDER.
Yeild: 2 popsicles
1) Juice 2 oranges and strain to separate the fiber from the juice.
2) Add a tablespoon of sugar (or two if the fruit is sour).
3) Add a tablespoon of finely chopped coriander and stir.
4) Add water and let it rest for 10 minutes.
5) Pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
6) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
2. CHILLY POPS.
Yeild: 2 popsicles
1) Finely slice 4 small green chillies.
2) Add 120 ml water.
3) To that, add a handful on chopped mint leaves
4) Add 2 teaspoons sugar and heat on a medium flame until it begins to simmer.
5) Take off heat, let it cool and pour into moulds or plastic glasses for 8 hours or overnight.
6) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
3. MELGO.
Yeild: 2 popsicles.
1) Juice 2 mangoes by adding a little water.
2) Add sugar to taste.
3) Fill mould or plastic glasses until 3/4 full and chill until almost frozen (If using glasses place sticks into the pops when slushy)
4) While the mango pops are chilling, juice a quarter of a cantaloupe melon, adding 1/2tbsp sugar and a squeeze of lemon and water.
5) Pour over the mango pops (when the mango pops are almost frozen) and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.
4. MELON LEMON.
Yeild: 2 popsicles.
1) Juice the remaining 3/4th cantaloupe melon.
2) Add 1 tbsp sugar (or two)
3) Squeeze half a lemon (yumm..) and stir.
4) Pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
5. WATERJELLYON.
Yield: 2 popsicles.
1) Juice 2 cups of medium sized watermelon pieces (approximately quarter of a medium sized watermelon.)
2) Add sugar, if needed, to taste. Squeeze a few drops of lemon and stir.
3) Fill mould or plastic glasses until 3/4 full and chill until almost frozen (If using glasses place sticks into the pops when slushy)
4) While the watermelon pops are chilling, make the jelly. (I chose Bluebird's Blackcurrant Jelly.) Set aside to cool.
5) Once slightly cooled, pour the jelly mixture over the watermelon pops (when its almost frozen) and chill for further 3-4 hours.
6. MINTY WATERMELON.
Yield: 2 popsicles
1) Juice 2 and 1/2 cups of medium sized watermelon pieces and a handful of finely chopped mint leaves together (add a little water).
2) Squeeze some lemon juice and stir.3) Pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
4) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
7. GINGER LEMONMINT.
Yield: 2 popsicles.
1) Juice an inch of finely chopped or grated ginger, juice of one lemon a hanful of mint leaves and 150 ml water together.
2) Add 2-3 tbsp of sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.
3) Then pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
4) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
8. POMPOUS POMEGRANATE.
Yield: 2 popsicles.
1) Juice one large pomegranate and strain to separate the seed from the juice.
2) Add a tbsp honey and stir well.
3) Squeeze a little lemon if you like. (I did)
4) Pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
5) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
Yield: 2 popsicles.
1) Juice an inch of finely chopped or grated ginger, juice of one lemon a hanful of mint leaves and 150 ml water together.
2) Add 2-3 tbsp of sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.
3) Then pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
4) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
8. POMPOUS POMEGRANATE.
Yield: 2 popsicles.
1) Juice one large pomegranate and strain to separate the seed from the juice.
2) Add a tbsp honey and stir well.
3) Squeeze a little lemon if you like. (I did)
4) Pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
5) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
9. PANNAH.
Yield: 2 popsicles.
1) Cook 2 raw mangoes in a pressure cooker until three whistles. (is that the right way to put it? If it isn't, please help in the comments section! :) )
2) Peel the raw mangoes and separate the pulp from the seed and juice the pulp along with 3-4 tablespoons of sugar.
3) Add cardamom (elaichi) powder and some kesar and stir. Let it sit for a while, giving the kesar time to work its magic. (I love the colour!)4) Pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
5) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
10. TARTY KIWI.
Yield: 2 popsicles.
1) Peel and juice 2 kiwis along with a squeeze of lemon and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar.
2) Add a little water and stir.
3) You may strain to separate the seeds from the pulp of you wish to at this stage. (I didn't because i loved the way it looked..pretty, no?)4) Pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
5) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
11. GRAPORANGE.
Yield: 2 popsicles.
(I forgot to click this!)
1) Juice 15-20 big sized grapes and 1 orange together along with 2 tablespoons of sugar.
2) Add some water and strain to separate the skin from the juice.
3) Pour into moulds or plastic glasses for about 8 hours or overnight.
4) If using glasses, about 2 hours into chilling (It'll get slightly slushy) place sticks into the pops.
** To release pops from their moulds/glasses, dip the moulds/glasses in warm water for 5 seconds or rub them between your palms
** If you want the coriander in the Orange Coriander pops and the chilly and mint in the Chilly pops to be distributed and not just settled at the top or bottom, stir the pop when slushy, let chill a bit again and then add the sticks.
Everyone at home loved the Ginger Lemonmint, Melgo, Melon Lemon, Pompous Pomegranate, Pannah and Minty Watermelon. What did not hit the spot were the Chilly Pops and Tarty Kiwi (though I liked them because i love kiwi!).
Have fun making the pops and tell me what flavours you'd like to try or what you've made before. And if you make any of the above flavours, let me know if you liked them!
Until next time,
Happy Summer and Happy Baking!
Posts
6 comments
Perfect to beat the heat... Popsicle's are always great way to relish on the fruit.....
ReplyDeleteI agree. Popsicles add so much fun to summer!
Deletewhoa, thats some cullinary feat u have achieved in popsicle making...they all look fantabulous! such new combinations and flavours wud love to try them all :)
ReplyDeleteHehe..thank you *blush blush*
DeleteFun post! what lovely range of popsicles... personally, i want to try the orange coriander and the raw mango ones! <3
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteThe raw mango ones taste absolutely refreshing.