| Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up here. Hi, all, and happy weekend. I’ve been thrilled to have a respite from the blistering heat and, of course, the wildfire smoke that had settled over the mid-Atlantic the previous week. When I saw blue skies for the first time in days from the Pennsylvania hotel room where I was ensconced for a sports tournament with my kid last weekend, I almost teared up. Another bonus of this warm but not melting weather: You can eat a frozen treat — one of my favorite seasonal activities — without it immediately turning into a puddle. (I’m still traumatized by my once-a-year Kohr Bros. chocolate-dipped strawberry custard that disintegrated in seconds on last year’s beach trip.) That’s especially fitting given this week’s featured recipe. Ellie Krieger’s Piña Colada Ice Pops are a refreshing, tropical and zero-proof twist on the classic cocktail. And they require just four ingredients: pineapple, canned light coconut milk, dates and lime juice. Use the ripest fruit available, which is bursting with sweet flavor and vivid yellow color. If your pineapple is on the tart side, don’t worry. The dates can compensate for it, and you can add more to taste, if needed. The coconut milk, too, balances out the pineapple’s sharper edges and lends a creamy, luxurious texture. The recipe works just as well in dedicated ice pop molds as cups paired with wooden sticks, so you can enjoy these no matter the equipment you have. (Just keep in mind that how many you get will vary depending on what you go with.) This recipe is a timely reminder of how healthy and hydrating fruit-based ice pops can be. If you’re awash in fresh fruit that you’ve overbought at the market (me!), they’re a great way to use and preserve the surplus before it goes off. If the fruit is just almost at the point of being too soft to eat any other way, that’s when it will be at its sweetest — ideal for incorporating into pops. A little additional sugar in one form or another will keep the treats from veering into ice cube territory. Ditto dairy or other fat, such as the coconut milk Ellie employs. I’m sharing some more ice pop recipes and tips below, plus a few other piña-colada-inspired ideas, to help you get started. Here’s my weekly reminder that I’ll be online Thursday at 11 a.m. Eastern for my live chat when I’ll be answering your cooking questions. Submit them now, then don’t forget to come back when the conversation gets going in real time. Until next week, happy cooking. |
