Big smiles rewarded my chilly kitchen labors. Both of my four-year-old twin daughters and my dear friend, the kids’ Aunty D, started to devour their pink fruit pops. We were having a girls’ night.
To make the evening extra special, I whipped up a batch of decadent ice pops. A few weeks ago I shared my strawberry soup recipe. For our cozy gals’ party I poured this cold soup, along with cut fruit, into pop molds. Voilà, frozen desert! As I am a fan of glitz, I made our frosty treats ornamental by adding a sprinkling of edible gold beads.
My inspiration for such lavish icy goodies was the Rococo style. Known for being excessive and theatrical, this time period began in France in the first part of the 18th century. King Louis XV reigned amongst the opulent glamour and extravagant art. In the center of all the festivities was Madame de Pompadour, paramour of the king.
In a time when women didn’t wield power, she became quite influential. Smart, not just beautiful, she used her favor with the king to procure titles of nobility for herself and her relatives. A patron of the arts, Madame de Pompadour helped make Paris the center of culture in Europe.
Hopefully you will think my pops are fit for royalty. If you’d like to give them a try, they are really quite easy to make and fun to eat!
Every day, I wish to make the world more beautiful than I found it.
—Madame de Pompadour
To create my frozen fruit pops start by making the strawberry soup:
Strawberry Soup
4 cups fresh strawberries, halved
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
In a blender combine all ingredients. I like to do in batches.
Fruit for Pop Molds
Strawberries, stems and leaves removed
Raspberries
Sliced mango
Rainier cherries, pits and stems removed
Decoration
Edible gold glitter beads
1/4” ribbon
First cut the fruit and put in a pop mold. Then pour the strawberry soup over. Now place the lid on the mold and slide popsicle sticks in.
Put in the freezer until hardened.
Gently remove all popsicles from the mold. Leave out for about three minutes so they slightly melt and the decorations will stick. Embellish with gold edible beads and sliced berries. Lastly, tie ribbon on all popsicle sticks and finish with a bow. Cover each pop with plastic wrap and place in the freeze to harden.
Makes 10 popsicles
(As the pops melt while eating, the fruit inside will soften. Let the edible beads dissolve in your mouth)
