For health reasons, I recently started a FODMAP elimination diet. It's done wonders for me, and I don't miss too many of the foods that I used to be able to eat, but I've had a hard time finding any corn syrup- and milk-free popsicles. And that simply will not do.
So I made my own, using a $1 popsicle mold set from Ralphs. I think they rock, so I'm sharing the (general) recipe.
[Any Kind of Fruit] + Lemonade Popsicles
You will need:
- Fruit (ultimately, you'll need about 1/2 cup of fruit juice and/or pulp)
- Lemon(s)
- Sugar
- Water
My popsicle maker holds about a cup of liquid, total, so that's the measurement I'm using: if yours holds more or less, increase or decrease the recipe proportionally.
- Make simple sugar syrup: cook equal amounts of sugar and water (I usually use a half cup of each, but then I have some left over, so it's up to you) until the sugar dissolves.
- Dice the fruit, and mash it up well. I use a suribachi and surikogi (mortar and pestle) but you can use a blender or any other method you prefer. The object is to (generally) separate the pulp from the juice.
- Add fruit juice (and pulp, if you want) to a measuring cup: you want about half a cup, maybe a little more, of fruit.
- Add the juice of at least half a lemon (a full lemon works too- it all depends on your lemon preferences) to the measuring cup.
- Add syrup to the measuring cup to bring the liquid amount up to one cup.
- Stir, and taste. The mixture should taste both too sweet and too strong-- it settles as it freezes. Add more lemon, syrup, and/or fruit to taste, but remember that the mixture should have a very strong flavor.
- Freeze.
And there you go. So far, I've tried honeydew, kiwi (make sure not to crush the seeds!), muscat grapes (pictured above), strawberries, and blackberries (all FODMAP-friendly fruit!), and they have all worked very well. Also, recently, I made some with syrup + lime juice + strips of fresh mint.
These are cheap, easy, and healthy, as far as frozen treats go-- and, more importantly, I think they're the yummiest popsicles I've ever had. Give 'em a try!
