Theme Week: Popsicles

One of my favorite things to do very early on a Saturday morning is to read a fresh new copy of Sunset Magazine. Have you heard of it? Its pages essentially capture the lifestyle of the west coast -- everything from food, to travel, to gardening, to home goods. As you can probably imagine, the travel and food articles garner the most of my attention and this years June edition was no different. There was an entire section devoted to stone fruit farming and recipes, and the directions for making peach creamsicles instantly grabbed my attention. I have been a lover of regular, store-bought creamsicles forever, and since nearly everything is better homemade I decided to try my hand at the from-scratch version.

Ingredients:

-1.5 pounds ripe peeled peaches or nectarines

-1/2 cup plus 2 tsp. sugar

-2 teaspoons lemon juice

-2 tsp. rose water or 1 tbsp. butter

-1/3 cup whipping cream

-1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Note: I used peaches and added the butter for a bit of richness. The rose water was, unfortunately, missing in action from both grocery stores that I checked.

*Note: It could have been the humidity, but I tried whipping just 1/3 cup cream and it didn't come together very well. I started over with about a cup and had leftovers, but was much more successful.

Directions:

-Chop the peaches (or nectarines) roughly, removing the pits. Combine with the sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 6-8 minutes.

-Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fruit to the bowl of a food processor. Process on high until you have a smooth, thick liquid. Return the fruit puree to the saucepan and stir in the butter (or rosewater). Place the entire saucepan into a larger bowl filled with ice water. Allow to chill slightly.

-Pour the fruit puree into a shallow casserole dish, cover with foil and place in the freezer for about 2.5 hours. When you touch the surface lightly, a light indent should be left behind. 

-Meanwhile, beat the whipping cream with with 2 tsp. sugar and the vanilla extract until soft peaks form. When the fruit puree is ready, swirl lightly with a spoon and fold in the cream. 

-Spoon the fruit and cream mixture into your Popsicle molds (~7-8) and allow to freeze for about 7 hours. Running the Popsicle casing under luke warm water will help with the removal process. 

Winesicles? I'm thinking about this before summer ends...

Perfect for a hot summer night. :)