Pop-A-Licious

One of my earliest "cooking" memories is making popsicles with my mother. Mom had this set of popsicles moulds, nothing special, just empty, oblong shaped moulds, each with a brightly colored, reusable popsicle stick. Intended for children, they even had cut-outs of circus animals emblazoned on the stick. We never made outrageous frozen treats-- simply frozen juice, or even lemonade, set to freeze for a few hours until pops were made. I think it was my mother's attempt to raise a healthy child by avoiding processed, overly sugary snacks, but what I was always fascinated with was the prospect of freezing a liquid into a solid. That something so ordinary could magically transform into a frozen treat amazed me.

Well, those particular moulds are long gone; the child that they once served is now a married adult. But each summer, as the months progress and the temperature rises, I think back fondly to those cylindrical moulds, and all of the marvelous treats I would make with them today if given the chance again. So when I was at Ikea, imagine my glee when I spied, stacked in not-so-neat piles near the registers, slightly different, though infinitely useful, popsicle moulds. I restrained myself, and purchased only one set, allowing for 7 popsicles to be made, and ran home, the "cooking" wheels spinning in my head.

My first trial was a success! Yoghurt and Strawberry Cream Pops, with their dual tones and flavors only look difficult to make. If you can make a smoothie, you can probably make these pops. Taking advantage of the beautiful berries at the market right now, I brought home a pint, with the intention of making a sweet, pulpy concoction. I whirred the cleaned strawberries in the blender, thinned the mixture out with a bit of water, then set the strawberries to simmer on the stove with about a quarter cup of sugar, and a split vanilla bean. Once the strawberry smoothie reached a boil, I turned off the heat, and let the mixture set in the pan while I went to work on the yoghurt.

I took vanilla yoghurt, thinned out with a touch of milk, and kissed it with a bit of sugar (but just a bit, I wanted these to be "grown-up" popsicles) to make the yoghurt mixture. Then I began to pour the liquids into the moulds, careful to make sure the first batch of liquid came no higher than the popsicle stick would clear. I set these first smoothie cubes to freeze before adding the alternating liquid. A few hours wait while the liquid froze, then, pop! A new popsicle for the girl who longed to make her own sweet treats. And it only took me how many years to get my hands on popsicle moulds?