I was reminded of how much I loved ice pops as a kid the other day when I saw the cover of the magazine "Where" New York. On it was a plate of frosty-looking, colorful ice pops, beckoning me on a very hot day in the city. The image also reminded me of an article I did for Bon Appetit years ago, secreted in a computer folder called Old Docs (documents). The recipes were devised for the "new" Williams-Sonoma ice pop molds. But when I was a kid, we made ice pops in 3-ounce Dixie cups. But I do love the molded forms you can buy (some classic, some torpedo-like) and dare say you can add some booze and serve them to adults at a midsummer night's dinner.
There are ten amazing flavors from which to choose and a startling array of hues to match. Not quite the color palate of the rainbow, but close. You will want to make a different version every week to last way into Indian summer. If you add liquor of any kind, the ice pops will take longer to freeze. Don't add too much -- but a hint of peach schnapps or rum or bourbon will add untold megabites of pleasure.
If you're using ice pop molds, the rule of thumb is that in order to fill 8 molds, you will need 2 cups of mixture. If using Dixie cups, put 2 ounces of any mixture into each cup; cover with foil; make a small slit in center of foil and insert wooden stick. Another tip for either procedure is to freeze the mixture 30 to 60 minutes before inserting sticks.
Frosty Lemon-Mint Color: bright green
2 large lemons 2 tablespoons green crème de menthe 6 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons corn syrup 1-1/2 cups water
Grate the rinds of lemons to get 1 tablespoon zest. Squeeze lemons to get 6 tablespoons juice. Whisk all ingredients together until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture into molds. Freeze 3 to 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.
Summer Sunrise Color: two-tone orange and coral
2 cups orange-peach-mango juice ¼ cup corn syrup 3 tablespoons grenadine
Put juice and corn syrup in a bowl. Stir until dissolved. Pour half of the mixture into 8 ice pop molds. Freeze 1 hour. Insert sticks. Freeze until mixture is frozen. Add grenadine to remaining mixture and pour this into molds. Freeze 3 hours longer. Makes 8 pops.
Royal Blueberry Color: Purple-blue
1 pint fresh blueberries 8-ounces blueberry yogurt ¼ cup honey 2 tablespoons sugar ¼ cup water
Wash blueberries and put in food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until very smooth. Pour mixture into ice molds. Freeze 3 to 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.
Tropicali Color: light orange with green flecks
12 ounces mango nectar 1 cup cream of coconut 2 large limes
Place nectar and cream of coconut in bowl. Whisk until smooth. Grate rind of limes to get 1 tablespoon zest. Squeeze to get 3 tablespoons juice. Add zest and juice to mixture.
Stir. Pour into ice pop molds. Freeze 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.
Strawberry Blast Color: bright red
6 ounces strawberry daiquiri mix 12 ounces pineapple juice 3 tablespoons honey ¼ teaspoon rum extract
Place ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Pour mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze 3 to 4 hours.
Lemon-Buttermilk (“tastes like cheesecake”) Color: white (with yellow flecks)
2 large lemons 3/4 cup superfine sugar 1-2/3 cups buttermilk pinch of salt
Grate rind of lemons to get 2 tablespoons zest. Squeeze lemons to get 5 tablespoons juice. Put zest and juice in a bowl. Add sugar and salt. Stir to dissolve. Add buttermilk and stir until smooth. Pour mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.
Watermelon Lemonade Color: pale red
2 packed cups finely diced ripe watermelon 6-ounces frozen lemonade concentrate 3 tablespoons superfine sugar pinch of salt
Place ingredients in bowl of food processor and process until very smooth. Pour mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze 3 to 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.
Honeydew Kiwi Color: jade green with little black seeds
2 packed cups finely diced ripe honeydew 2 medium kiwi, peeled and diced 1/2 cup corn syrup 2 tablespoons lime juice
Place ingredients in bowl of food processor and process until very smooth. Pour mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze 3 to 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.
Fudgy Ice Pops Color: chocolate-y brown
8 ounces vanilla yogurt ½ cup corn syrup 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted 3 tablespoons cocoa powder ½ cup water
Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor and process until very smooth. Pour mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.
Cranberry “Tea-sicle” Color: clear dark ruby
2 Red Zinger tea bags 3 tablespoons sugar 6 ounces frozen cranberry concentrate optional: 1-2 tablespoons red wine
Boil 1-1/2 cups water and put in bowl. Add tea bags and let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Stir in sugar to dissolve. Add cranberry concentrate and wine. Stir. Pour mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze 4 hours. Makes 8 ice pops.