Locally Grown: Welcome warm days with frozen treats By Loretta Haring
These days, the soft spring breeze carries the chirp of birds, the buzz of lawn mowers and the happy laughter of children.
These sounds linger in the background, comforting as warm sunshine on your face.
But the sound that really makes your heart race this time of year? The jaunty lilt of the ice cream truck.
There's something extra special about those first few visits from the ice cream truck. It's almost like sneaking some extra summer days onto the calendar.
If you aren't lucky enough to have a truck that visits your neighborhood, or if your family demands frozen confections on a more frequent basis, try making your own. They can be as easy as freezing fruit juice or yogurt. Popsicle molds with special handles are readily available, but the stand-by paper cup and wooden stick works just as well.
You can even make mini treats with an ice cube tray and toothpicks.
If you've got a larger mold, you can layer different ingredients to make things even more exciting.
FRUIT AND YOGURT POPS
1 cup strawberry yogurt
1 cup orange juice
11/2 cups raspberry juice
Set eight 5-ounce popsicle molds or paper cups on work surface. Spoon an equal amount of the yogurt into each mold or cup and press down with the spoon to fill the bottom evenly. Cover the molds. If using cups, cover each with a square of aluminum foil, pressing it firmly around the sides. Poke a popsicle stick through each foil cover, pushing it into the middle of the yogurt. Set the molds or cups in the freezer until beginning to set, about 40 minutes.
Remove the molds from the freezer. If using cups, carefully lift off the foil but leave the sticks in place. Pour an equal amount of the orange juice into each mold or cup. Cover, return the molds or cups to the freezer and freeze until firm, about 40 minutes. Repeat the procedure with the raspberry juice. Freeze until solid, about 4 hours or up to overnight.
To serve, slip the pops from the molds or remove the foil and peel away the paper cups. Makes 8 pops.
RED, WHITE AND BLUEBERRY FREEZE POPS
Family Fun Magazine
10 5-ounce plastic or paper cups
1 quart raspberry juice
10 sticks
1 pint frozen vanilla yogurt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Assemble the cups on a cookie tray. Pour an inch of raspberry juice into each cup, then place the tray in the freezer. When the juice is partially frozen, set a stick in the center of each cup and let the juice freeze solid.
Pour 1 cup of water into a blender. Add 4 large scoops of frozen vanilla yogurt and blend until smooth.
Pour an inch of the vanilla mix on top of the frozen raspberry juice layer in each cup and freeze again.
Once the vanilla layer sets, blend 1 cup of water, the blueberries and a large scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt. Spoon the blueberry mix into the cups. Freeze overnight.
To serve, dip each cup into a bowl of warm water for an instant. The pop should slide out easily. Serves 10.
Another way to make a creamy pop is to use pudding mix. This can be a tasty way to sneak some calcium into a diet.
FROZEN BERRY PUDDING POPS
"Katie Brown's Weekends"
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 4-serving size package white chocolate or vanilla instant pudding mix
3-5 drops red or blue food coloring, optional
1 cup blueberries, strawberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen
In a blender, combine milk, heavy cream and pudding mix. Blend until smooth.
For blue or pink pops, add food coloring. Blend until combined.
Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in berries.
Pour into 6 paper cups. Cover each cup with foil and cut a slit in foil to insert stick.
Freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
CHOCOLATE-DIPPED BANANA POPS
"Go Bananas" by Susan Quick
8 wooden craft sticks
4 firm-ripe bananas, halved crosswise
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons canola oil
Assorted toppings: candy sprinkles, finely chopped peanuts, shredded coconut, M&Ms, toffee bits
Insert sticks about 11/2 inches into end of each banana half. Place on large baking sheet lined with wax paper; freeze 1 hour.
In small saucepan, heat chocolate chips and oil, stirring until the chocolate melts and becomes smooth; remove from heat and keep warm. Place each topping on separate square of wax paper and line them up on a cutting board or large baking sheet.
Holding the banana pop by the stick over the saucepan, spoon the melted chocolate over the banana, allowing excess to drip back into the pan. Immediately roll the pop in a topping and return to the baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining pops. Freeze the pops at least 3 hours or overnight. Let stand for 3 or 4 minutes at room temperature before eating.
Frozen pops can be placed in a self-sealing freezer storage bag for up to 1 week.
If you prefer your frozen treats without a stick, you can't beat a good ice cream sandwich. For ease, you can use store-bought soft cookies, or make your own.
These treats put ice-cream between two brownie-like layers.
ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
Williams-Sonoma
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing foil
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
11/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 quart chocolate chip ice cream, softened
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil (some foil hanging over the edges is fine). Lightly grease the foil with the 1 tablespoon butter.
Put the 12 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir with the whisk just until the butter is melted. Remove saucepan from heat and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain. Add the sugar and continue whisking until well blended. Let the mixture cool for 2 minutes.
Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Add the flour and salt. Using a rubber spatula, stir until the batter is blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownie comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
Using the ends of the foil, lift the brownie from the pan and set it on a cutting board. Cut the brownie in half lengthwise. Carefully loosen both halves from the foil. Using a rubber spatula, spread the softened ice cream evenly over one half of the brownie into a layer about 1 inch thick. Top with the other half of the brownie and press down gently. Wrap in the foil. Freeze until hard, about 6 hours.
Peel away the foil and cut into 8 to 10 sandwiches. Serve immediately. You can also wrap the sandwiches in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Makes 8 to 10 sandwiches.
