With this post I would officially be signing off with the summer bounty of stone fruits. It was the last of the stash of sweet and puckery plums which I had tucked away in my freezer. I had been wanting to make ice pops, the perfect treat to reminisce the summer and surely the apt way to bid adieu to all the wonderful stone fruits which summer has to offer.
This year, rains have left us little early and it has become hot and humid again. My basil plant has been ever so growing lately, flourishing heavily like never before. Plum & Basil popsicles seemed to be the right choice for these hot and sunny days. These are the kind of pops which you would have liked probably growing up than being as a kid. They are so puckery and tantalizing! They reminded me of the Plum Sorbet which I had made last year. They almost taste like a palate cleanser.
And look at their color! Vibrant red color ice pops, they look quite sultry! Pardon my cheeky language, but truly speaking, this is what I felt, when I first saw the color. And you’d believe that they have the similar character too, only after you take the first bite. Again sweet and sour at the same time and tantalizing your taste buds.
- 500 gm plums, de-stoned and quartered
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 cup sugar (adjust sugar depending upon the tartness)
- 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, chopped roughly
- 1 tbsp kirsch (optional)
- Put plums, sugar and water into a non reactive saucepan and cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until plums are tender.
- Take the saucepan off the heat, add the basil leaves and kirsch and let stand covered for about an hour.
- Put the plums in a blender or a liquidizer and blend to make a smooth puree.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve. Divide the mixture into ice pop molds and place in freezer for half an hour or until the mixture is lightly set.
- Take the molds out of the freezer and insert the wooden sticks into each mold and put them back into the freezer, until completely set.