EdibWasa Summer 2012 : Page 12
by Amy Thompson illustration by Clayton Thompson H omemade grape and orange juice ice pops were as much a summer staple in our home as bare feet and dinner on the porch. They made us feel fancy even though they were only juice in a plastic mold. But they were an event, a celebration of the arrival of warmth and green. I still find something special about frozen treats, but the flavors now are a bit more grown up than the simple grape and orange of my childhood. Summertime gatherings often seem to happen organically, to grow out of a neighbor dropping in, an overabundance of garden pro-duce or an extended conversation over the fence. Throw in a chilled bucket of fancy ice pops, and a string of garden lights and you might just find yourself in the midst of a full-fledged soiree!
The Progressive Pioneer
By Amy Thompson • Illustration By Clayton Thompson
Homemade grape and orange juice ice pops were as much a summer staple in our home as bare feet and dinner on the porch. They made us feel fancy even though they were only juice in a plastic mold. But they were an event, a celebration of the arrival of warmth and green. I still find something special about frozen treats, but the flavors now are a bit more grown up than the simple grape and orange of my childhood. Summertime gatherings often seem to happen organically, to grow out of a neighbor dropping in, an overabundance of garden produce or an extended conversation over the fence. Throw in a chilled bucket of fancy ice pops, and a string of garden lights and you might just find yourself in the midst of a full-fledged soiree!<br /> <br /> Huckleberry Ice Pops with Lemon Verbena<br /> <br /> If you can get huckleberries for this recipe, use them. Their perfume-y flavor is delightful with the lemon verbena.<br /> 2 cup huckleberries or blueberries<br /> 1/2 cup white grape juice (if berries are frozen)<br /> 1 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves<br /> 6 tablespoons maple syrup<br /> <br /> Blend all ingredients in a blender, fill ice pop molds and freeze. If berries are fresh you may need less white grape juice.<br /> <br /> Strawberry-Basil- Balsamic Ice Pops<br /> <br /> This recipe tends to freeze less rock hard than the others and is a great option for sorbet both because it won't freeze solid and because the flavor is a bit more grown up.<br /> <br /> 2 cups strawberries<br /> 4 tablespoons honey<br /> ¼ cup tightly-packed, fresh basil leaves<br /> 6 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar<br /> <br /> Blend all ingredients, pour into ice pop molds and freeze.<br /> <br /> Summertime Eggnog<br /> <br /> This recipe is all the nostalgia and tastiness of the Christmastime treat, but better suited to the long, hot days of summer. It feels a bit like cheating the calendar!<br /> <br /> 2 cups whole milk (or half and half or cream if you prefer!)<br /> ½ cup plain yogurt<br /> 4 eggs from healthy, local chickens<br /> ½ to 5/8 cup of maple syrup, to taste<br /> ¼ teaspoon cinnamon<br /> 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg<br /> A pinch of salt<br /> <br /> Blend all the ingredients together. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze. It is particularly important that you know where your eggs come from as you will be eating these raw. Of course, the chances of getting salmonella from factory-farmed raw eggs is only about 1 in 30,000. Statistically you have a better chance of winning an academy award. Just saying.<br /> <br /> Frozen Frog Eggs<br /> <br /> Chia seeds, puff up and get a slippery coating when soaked in liquid. They remind me so much of the frog eggs I used to gather as a kid. A little spinach completes the illusion and adds extra nutrition to boot.<br /> <br /> ¼ cup chia seeds<br /> 2 cups pear juice, divided<br /> 2 cups fresh spinach<br /> 3 tablespoons honey<br /> <br /> Soak the chia seeds in 1 cup of the pear juice until they are plump and look like a clear frog egg with a tiny tadpole inside! Blend the other 1 cup of pear juice with the spinach and honey, stir in the "frog eggs." Pour into ice pop molds and freeze.<br /> <br /> Peach-Sage Ice Pops<br /> <br /> Sage usually makes me think of pork and butternut squash, but it works surprisingly well in these ice pops paired with sweet, summer peaches.<br /> <br /> 2 cup peaches<br /> 20 fresh sage leaves<br /> ½ to ¾ cup white grape juice (if using frozen peaches)<br /> 4 tablespoons honey<br /> <br /> Blend all ingredients, pour into ice pop molds and freeze. If using fresh, juicy peaches, you may be able to skip the white grape juice.<br /> <br /> Fairy Nectar<br /> <br /> This recipe in particular tends to attract butterflies and little girls in tutus.<br /> <br /> 2 cup white grape juice<br /> 4 tablespoons honey<br /> 4 rose blossoms, petals only<br /> 2 teaspoon rose water<br /> <br /> Blend all the ingredients. You will end up with a light pink liquid, flecked with tiny bits of rose petal. Pour this into ice pop molds and freeze.
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