As a child, popsicles were the highlight of my summer. I loved those tall, blue popsicles shaped like rockets that the ice cream man brought in his musical truck, and the Kool-Aid pops I made with my mom. I didn’t discriminate when I came to finding a cool treat to lick while basking in the hot sun. The best days were when I could enjoy a pop after a hard day of building moats in the backyard and commanding my Golden Retriever, Daisy, to guard our imaginary fortress. She wasn’t a very good guard dog, but she did try her best, and I rewarded Daisy’s efforts by letting her finish my popsicles. One must be magnanimous, after all.
Though adults and children alike enjoy pops, I think there’s a special connection between childhood and popsicles. Perhaps this is because they were invented by an 11-year-old boy. His name was Frank Epperson and the year was 1905. He liked to create novel drinks by experimenting with soda powder and flavors from the local grocery store, and one evening he forgot a little glass, filled with soda and garnished with a stick, on his back porch. That night San Francisco experienced the “Big Freeze,” with temperatures dropping below 32 degrees F, so in the morning Frank found a popsicle where his soda had been. He called it an “Epsicle,” after himself. Many years later, when Frank was a grown man with a wife and children of his own, he remembered this childhood experiment while operating a lemonade stand at a local amusement park. Not long afterwards he began selling his creation as “popsicles” - so called because his children would ask for Pop’s sicles.’ Not surprisingly, the treats caught on.
Some historians have disputed Epperson being credited with the invention of the popsicle. They point out that, as far back as 1872, two men named Ross and Robbins sold frozen-fruit confections on sticks, which they called the Hokey-Pokey. They took their products around town in bicycle-propelled carts and were called “hokey pokey men” by the locals. Other historians note that Italians have been selling granitas for ages, and isn’t that a fairly similar concept? Whatever the argument, the fact is that Epperson’s story has stuck, probably because he was the first to mass market the idea.
Today we can find popsicles of every variety in our local supermarket, but I think the best ones are made in your kitchen. It’s not just about the taste but about the pleasure of making them, perhaps with someone you love, or while listening to some old-time big-band music, as I was doing yesterday. Tomorrow I might just make a batch of Banana Split Pops - I’m feeling decadent!
The photograph above features the pops I made earlier this week: Peach Cream and Coconut. (The tubes sticking out on the sides are built in “straws,” so you can drink any melting juices.) Both popsicles were mentioned in my last post, where I was giving away two copies of the book from which these pops come: Pops! Frozen Treats for Everyone. 171 (!!) people participated in the raffle, and I’m happy to announce that RuthL and Mara were the lucky winners! I will be emailing both of you shortly, so check your inbox, and as for everyone else what can I say except thank you for participating & I wish I had more copies to give away. They’ll be more chances to win free books though, never you fear. Indeed, everyone seems to enjoy these ‘raffle’ posts so much that I’m considering giving away one book a month. Keep an eye on the sidebar!
As part of this week’s raffle everyone voted on which popsicle recipe I would share, and the winning recipe was for Coconut Pops. I was pretty happy with this result because, I have to admit, between the two this one was by far my favorite. See the book review below to learn more about each recipe and also about other recipes featured in the book.
Book Review: Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone is exactly what you want in a summertime book - creative, fun and accessible. With recipes for frozen treats like Kiwi & Strawberry Pops (with whole slices of kiwi frozen inside), Blueberry Cheesecake Pops, Sugar Pumpkin Pops and Mimosa Pops, there is an abundance of unique, exciting recipes in this book. I was immediately drawn to the Coconut Pops and Peach Cream Pops (made with peach nectar and slices of fruit). Both were satisfying after a long day at work, sitting out on my patio and enjoying a bit of frozen goodness. The coconut pops rivaled Edy’s, which are my favorite brand of ‘freezer section’ coconut popsicles. As for the peach cream pops - there was a lot of promise there. These pops were created by layering the nectar/fruit mix with a cream mix made with yogurt and milk. The top layer, with the nectar, was amazing. However, the bottom layer of “peach cream” just wasn’t sweet enough. Next time I make these I’ll be adding sugar or some other sweetener to the cream mixture. That, I think, would be perfection.
All of the recipes are imaginative and easy to follow. Each one is introduced by a short story from the author on the top of the page, and most are accompanied by a mouth watering photo. I especially loved how the author included variations for every recipe. For instance, the recipe for Cookie Dough Pops lists 5 variations, along with instructions, at the bottom of the page. These variations include: Waffles & Ice Cream Pops, Peanut Butter Cookie Pops, Ginger Snap Pops, S’Mores Ice Cream Pops and Cookies & Cream Pops.
Overall this is an excellent book that’s certain to add a bit of refreshing fun to your kitchen. You’ll learn how to create a variety of tasty treats while also learning how to give your popsicles a more exotic look: layering colors, embedding fresh fruit, and even making your own molds. Have fun!
Chapters include: Healthy Energy Pops, Fruit Juice Pops, Soda Fountain Pops, Cream and Pudding Pops, Coffee and Tea Pops, and Cocktail Pops. Also included are sections on ice pop ingredients, essential tools, techniques and presentation.
Coconut Pops
Reprinted with permission from Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone by Krystina Castella.
Ingredients: Makes six 8-ounce pops or eight 6-ounce pops
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups coconut milk, homemade or canned; or 3 cups coconut water (see note below)
- 2 cups fresh (best) or dried shredded coconut
Step 1: In a saucepan, combine the milk and sugar and stir over low heat for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar; be careful not to scald the milk. Stir in the vanilla extract and let cool to room temperature.
Step 2: In a bowl, combine the coconut milk or coconut water, the shredded coconut, and the milk and vanilla mixture.
Step 3: Pour into the pop molds. Insert the sticks. Freeze for at least 6 hours.
Step 4: Remove from the freezer; let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the molds. Enjoy this coconut delight.
Notes:
To make homemade coconut milk: Put 2 cups grated coconut meat (from 1 coconut) and 3 cups hot water in a heatproof bowl. Let soak for 1 hour. Pour the coconut milk through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl.
To obtain coconut water: Coconut water is the liquid in the center of a fresh young (green) coconut. Drive 2 nails into the coconut, then remove them and drain the water out of the coconut into a bowl.
Variations:
Coconut & Banana Pops: Replace 1 cup of the coconut with 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas. Add the mashed bananas in step 2.
Coconut Curry Pops: Omit the vanilla extract. Gradually add red, green or yellow curry paste to taste plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves and 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice in step 2.
// Edit: 7.31.08 - I’ve received a few emails from people asking me how to grate fresh coconut & am posting the answer here in case anyone else is wondering!
After you have drained the coconut (incidentally, you can use a drill instead of 2 nails to drain the coconut) crack it open and bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. You must drain the coconut before you do this.
The baking process will crack the remaining shell. You can now remove it, carefully, using a screwdriver or oyster knife. Once that’s off, you need to remove the brown husk clinging to the white meat - do this with a vegetable peeler. Give the meat a little water bath to remove any remaining bits of husk.
You can use a box grater to shred the meat, but if you have a food processor with a grating attachment that’s the easiest way to go. 
