A clear white cone of nothing.
- At July 1, 2010
- By Molly Chester
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5
I set off in the direction of Carrot Popsicles for the Carrot Episode of Farm to Table. Carrots, raw cream and a simple popsicle mold is all I thought I needed. The texture was going to be smooth, with the raw cream taking the carrot into the flavor palate of a Creamsicle. Soft, subtly sweet and addictive. Convinced I’d nail it on the first go…
Nope.
Surprisingly, popsicles don’t surrender without a fight. They demand careful understanding and attention to their needs before they will even consider giving you their perfectly textured glory. My first try resulted in a delicious block of carrot ice. The kind you have to suck on sideways to extract the juice ’cause a bite ain’t happening. Like a snow cone from an ice cream truck, I sucked and sucked, which resulted in a clear white cone of nothing.
It’s then that I learned that popsicles require one of two things to master.
1) An Immediate Freeze – This technique is the dirty little secret of all the time-tested popsicle companies. Liquid-to-Ice as fast as possible results in a creamy texture that yields to one’s bite. This industrial freeze is tough for the home cook who typically has a $19.95 6-pack of plastic molds. I learned that Williams Sonoma sells a home version. I didn’t go this route, but here’s the link.
2) Manufactured Gelatin – Gelatin can come in all sorts of shapes & sizes: granules, sheets or powder. Vegans & Vegetarians won’t partake because it is made from collagen in the skin & bones of animals. Plus, anyone with a sensitivity to MSG should opt-out as well because all commercial gelatin contains a very small amount of a free amino acid (glutamic) as a result of manufacturing, which reacts similarly to MSG. For comparison, natural gelatin from homemade bone broth is not even in the same league as manufactured gelatin. In other words, this is a refined product, a treat, if you will. With that said, some brands are better than others, and I choose to use Bernard Jensen Beef Gelatin. I did go this route.
After many, many rounds (I actually bought a super-saver box of 1000 sticks), I am proud to present a very yummy popsicle.
Click HERE for the Carrot Popsicle recipe…
Do you have your own yummy popsicle recipe? I’d love to hear! I’ve become a bit of a popsicle geek.
xo – Organic Spark
country girl
Cool!
This really takes me back…when I was little, popsicles were made very often as a healthy treat. My favorite was simply frozen apple juice. Very sweet.
xoxo dawn
A Thought For Food
Oh boy! Those look delicious! And a bit phallic. But, again… delicious! :-P
Heirloom Watermelon Italian Ice
[...] make sorbets creamy and scoop-able: sugar, alcohol and gelatin. Quite fond of gelatin, after the Carrot Popsicle success, and not at all fond of sugar, since I seem to get a sugar spike from the smell of it, I [...]
Shelley M.
I would love to know where you got those awesome popsicle molds!
Molly Chester
I can’t find the original site that I got the molds, but I just found very similar ones on Amazon. Hope they work out! http://www.amazon.com/Onyx-Stainless-Steel-Popsicle-Mold/dp/B003R4AHTK