Monday, May 31, 2010

Popsicle of the Week: Creamy Cantaloupe


I hope you all are having a fabulous and long Memorial Day Weekend! This week I am sharing a recipe for Creamy Cantaloupe Popsicles. The recipe for these Creamy Cantaloupe Popsicles was sent to me from one of my favorite blogging friends, Michelle of Ms. En Place. Michelle lives in Louisiana and posts so many wonderful and authentic Cajun and Creole recipes. If you haven't been to her site yet, you will definitely want to pay her a visit soon. Thanks for the recipe, Michelle!

Creamy Cantaloupe Pops
1-1/2 cups cantaloupe, cubed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
8 wooden popsicle sticks

1. Place cantaloupe in a blender.
2. Cover and process until smooth; set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and sugar.
4. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. Stir in pureed cantaloupe.
7. Pour 1/4 cup into each mold (popsicle mold or 3 oz. plastic cups); insert the popsicle sticks.
Freeze until firm.
Variations:
--instead of heavy cream, half and half can be used
--for an even lighter version, replace the cream with 8 oz yogurt. Skip the heating instructions and instead toss everything in a blender.

Notes/Results
: The good people at Zoku saw my blog post last week where I had mentioned having trouble with my Zoku Quick Pop Maker. They left a comment on my post stating that recipes with a high fat content (like cream, half & half, or whole milk) did in fact result in a "soft pull", whereby the fat doesn't freeze solid enough to adhere to the popsicle stick. Zoku is in the process of writing their own cookbook, but states that using yogurt is a good alternative. In addition, Zoku has their own blog @ www.zokuhome.com. and can also be found on Twitter. Both sites have tips and tricks for using your Zoku Quick Pop Maker. Thanks Zoku for your response!
Because the cantaloupe popsicles were going to contain cream, I used my old-fashioned Tupperware molds. I bought one smaller-sized cantaloupe and it was more than enough to yield the 1 and 1/2 cups cantaloupe needed for this recipe. This is good news for us because we love melon at my house and had no problems finishing off the rest of the melon. With three ingredients, these pops were a snap to make and we all really enjoyed them! They had a wonderfully creamy consistency, which was improved greatly if allowed to sit on the counter 3-5 minutes prior to serving. A fun and unique way to enjoy cantaloupe.

I also want to mention that my friend Deb @ Kahakai Kitchen posted popsicles as well. Click HERE to see her
Cucumber, Lime, Mint & Rum Pops. She also made some tasty Mexican Chocolate pops which can be found HERE.


15 comments:

  1. Nice photography, Kim, great use of light. Those Mickey Mouse ears are too cute.

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  2. I'm glad you liked the pops, Kim. I got the recipe from a recipe swap buddy named Jessica.

    So cool that the people at Zoku saw your blog and gave some pointers! How's that for customer service!

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  3. Happy Memorial Day Kim!!!!!

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  4. These look so good! I love cantaloupe and all melons, actually, (honey dew is my real favorite) but have never had them in a popsicle. I guess that's one of the perks of being able to make your own - all of the flavor options!

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  5. Those are pretty, love the creamy orange color!

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  6. I'm not the greatest cantaloupe lover, but that color sure is beautiful!
    Happy Memorial Day!

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  7. If I liked cantaloup, I would tear those up ;) They are super pretty, though!! You are a popsicle making fool.

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  8. I have a friend who always wants me to make her cantaloupe ice cream--I bet she would love these as they look so creamy and delicious.

    Thanks for the shout out! I am still enjoying the cucumber pops--they have been my weekend treat.
    ;-)

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  9. how nice that the makers got in touch with you! these sound SO refreshing and delicious! i really need to try them!

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  10. Wow, I never even thought of making ice pops like that but these look great! I bet the heavy cream making them super... err creamy ;) Yum!

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  11. I just ordered some popsicle molds from Amazon! I'd like to claim I'm tucking this away for when my nephews come for dinner, but really I think they'd make the perfect summer dessert for me and my husband!

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  12. Another yummy pop. Kudos to Zoku for their response to you.
    Mimi

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  13. Creamy cantaloupe - sounds rich and heavenly! That's so neat that Zoku saw your blog!

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  14. Yum. I tried making these in my Zoku with low fat yogurt and splenda and they were not successful so it ended up being sorbet. Definitely going to play around with this though because the creamy cantaloupe combo is quite delicious. I didn't heat the mixture since the splenda dissolves pretty easily, but probably still would with regular sugar since I've found it can get a little gritty.

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  15. Using heavy whipping cream Makes Them Creamy Right? lol

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