Let's pop some colour

These kiddie-approved popsicles are bound to bring cheer to your little one

What's summer without a pop of a flavoured and frozen fruit or milk indulgence on a stick? However, a great alternative to eating store-bought ice cream is making them at home using fruit juice or any milk-based freezable beverage. Dean Rodrigues, pastry chef, Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts remembers how as a kid, his grandmother taught him and his brother to make their favourite drink like lemonade or orange juice and then just freeze it. "We would make several of them in summer, that would block our freezer; we used to enjoy it every afternoon," he recalls.

Chef Aditi Goel too gets nostalgic at the sight of popsicles. "As kids, orange popsicles would make our lips, tongues and faces orange, and the melted liquid would drip down on our shirts, in summer. We used to sit on the car bonnet and eat the popsicles; the shopkeeper would give my mom some water so she could wipe our hands and face," she adds. Now she makes them at home and stocks them for everyone to have. "It's our favourite thing to do during lockdown," Goel says.

Fruity popsicle

Ingredients
. Half watermelon diced into cubes - 200 gms or
. Malta oranges de-seeded and cut into segments - 4 pieces
. Lemon (squeezed for juice) - 1 £Honey - 2 tsp
. Fresh mint - 3 to 4 leaves

Method
In a blender, add watermelon cubes/orange segments, lemon juice, honey and fresh mint. Blend for 20-30 seconds. Strain in a jug. Evenly distribute the mixture into six wells of a popsicle mould. Secure the lids on top of the mould with the stick and freeze the same overnight. Remove the moulds, run under lukewarm water for 30 seconds and then, release the popsicle. Enjoy immediately.

Tips
1 Don't seal the lids tightly. If your popsicle moulds have snap-on lids, leave them loose. Unsealing the lid when popsicles are frozen can crack or destroy the brittle moulds.

2 Make sure not to leave the orange juice out for too long as it will become bitter.

3 Always use seasonal fruit that's fully if not overly ripe. Riper the fruit, sweeter the pop, and lesser the added sugar you'll need to add.

Dreamy, creamy treats

Unicorn popsicles

If you have time (patience, actually) to make something elaborate for a special treat at home, this Vanilla unicorn/minion popsicle is the perfect recipe. "While the original recipe's ingredients look intimidating, there are substitutes and options to drop some ingredients as well. Give it a try and you will be glad you did," says chef Rodrigues.

Minion popsicles

Ingredients
. Milk - 4 cups
. Fresh cream - 1 cup + 2 tbsp
. Milk powder - 5 tbsp
. Sugar - 3/4 cups
. Liquid glucose (Glucon-D is a good alternative) - 200 gms
. Egg yolk - 7
. Ice cream stabiliser - 2 tsp (optional)
. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
. Melted chocolate - 250 gms

Method
Cook all ingredients to 83°C and strain. Rest the mixture for at least 12 hours. Blend the mixture and then churn. Put it in a mould. Freeze for four hours. Remove, de-mould and dip in melted chocolate till well coated. Consume immediately or freeze again to enjoy later, making some interesting patterns like rainbows or minions for kids.

Tips
1 You can substitute the egg yolk with half a cup of condensed milk, but adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness. You cannot make this sugar-free.

2 The role of stabiliser is to give a creamy feel to the ice-cream. If you don't have the stabiliser, it's fine. The ice cream will still be good.

3 If you want to add any flavour like mango, strawberry or chocolate, use a syrup, purée or crush but reduce the amount of milk in the same proportion.

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