We are in the midst of the dog days of summer. The days are long, the sun is bright, and the nights are cool and fresh. In the summer, I'm drawn to fresh foods, light dinners, and chilled treats. Though my usual desserts during the summer are ripe fruits, some days I just need something a little different. While ice cream can be oh so nice, sometimes it's just too rich to eat by the side of the pool.
I recently rediscovered popsicles after buying a popsicle mold. For the last few years I simply haven't found any hidden away in the freezer, but I can already tell it is going to get plenty of use (especially this summer).
When I was growing up, popsicles were part of the daily culture at daycare. After playing outside all afternoon under the hot sun, my daycare provider would show up in the backyard with a box of popsicles in half a dozen flavors. She'd watch as we carefully made our color selection, breaking up the arguments that popped up when everyone decided they wanted the same flavor. Back then, popsicles weren't about the flavors, they were all about the colors.
Blue was my favorite flavor simply because it would dye my lips and tongue a bright shade of the sea—a fun accessory for any seven year old.
Most days we'd eat them on the front steps, trying to eat them faster than they could melt, a respectable feat on the warmest of days. Other days we were foolish and we'd let our popsicles melt completely in the sun, in their little plastic tubes, until they had turned into a very expensive Kool-aid. We would down the sweet juice in seconds, curiously wishing we had more.
Nowadays I savor popsicles, licking them instead of biting, hoping they last into a little slice of forever.
These Mango Coconut Striped Popsicles have a bold and fresh taste. The popsicles alternate between flavors of mango, coconut, and orange; the variety is clean and energizing, which keeps your taste buds on their toes. The alternating stripes of flavor and color are fun. Though it does take a little longer to make these popsicles because of the freezing time between stripes, the final product is gorgeous and the flavors are lovely. This is a lovely treat to cool you down on a hot summer afternoon.
Mango Coconut Striped Popsicles
Yields 10 popsicles
Mango Puree
1 ripe mango, diced into chunks (reserve 1/4 of diced mango for coconut milk with mango)
1/4 cup (59 ml) orange juice
1 ripe mango, diced into chunks (reserve 1/4 of diced mango for coconut milk with mango)
1/4 cup (59 ml) orange juice
In a blender, blend together the mango and orange juice until smooth and pour-able (about the consistency of baby food).
Coconut Milk with Mango
1 cup (236 ml) coconut milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 of the reserved mango, diced into small pieces
1 cup (236 ml) coconut milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 of the reserved mango, diced into small pieces
Whisk together the coconut milk and sugar. Stir in the mango pieces.
For Popsicles
1 cup (236 ml) orange juice
1 cup (236 ml) orange juice
To Assemble
Pour a few spoonfuls of mango puree, coconut milk with mango, or orange juice into the popsicle molds. Freeze for 1 hour before repeating, alternating between flavors and size of spoonfuls to create stripes. Freeze for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour between stripes.
Pour a few spoonfuls of mango puree, coconut milk with mango, or orange juice into the popsicle molds. Freeze for 1 hour before repeating, alternating between flavors and size of spoonfuls to create stripes. Freeze for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour between stripes.
Serve chilled.
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