SEPTEMBER 4, 2011
In my car, I generally listen to Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius. Religiously, I listen to Jennifer Hutt on Just Jenny Radio – I love her! If you drive by my house between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. on any given weekday, you may see me sitting in my car, in my driveway, laughing out loud. Thanks to Sirius radio, Jenn and I have become friends, not only is she hysterically funny and brilliantly smart, and even though she talks for a living, she is a great listener and a valuable friend.
I also like the morning shows. At the beginning of summer, I was listening to Fany Gerson talk about her heritage, her culture and how she started creating and selling Paletas and Aqua Fresca’s at local farmer’s markets in NYC. I liked her energy and I was engaged. When I got home, I immediately ran to my computer and googled her. I wrote her an email and told her that I had just listened to her on the radio and I was putting her new book, Paletas, on my wish list.
Through several emails, she offered to send me a book. I was overcome with joy. When the book arrived, I tore open the packaging and starting earmarking my pages. Over the last two months, I made the paletas de fresa(strawberry ice pops), paletas de coco rapidas (quick coconut ice pops), and the paletas de chocolate (chocolate ice pops). Unfortunately, they disappeared before I could photograph them.
I just made a batch of Paletas de yogurt con moras(yogurt ice pops with berries). As you can see from my recent posts, I am loading up the freezer with easy to prepare breakfast and after school, healthy snacks. The combination of greek yogurt and fresh, organic berries not only gives the kids a healthy, nutritionally balanced snack, but it makes them feel as though they are getting a decadent treat. I would have loved to have come home to a paleta when I was in grade school.
Fany was so gracious and appreciative of my email that she offeres to giveaway a copy of her book, Paletas. To win a copy of this beautifully written and photographed book, do any or all of the suggestions below.
Yogurt Ice Pops with Blueberry Puree
yield: 12 pops(in small paper cups)
ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plain, greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 lemon, peeled
1/2 cup blueberries
instructions:
• put the water and sugar in a small, heavy duty pot. bring to a boil, and stir until sugar is dissolved. simmer for 5 minutes.
• peel the lemon and put the peel into the simple syrup(the water sugar mixutre). let steep for 5 minutes.
• strain the lemon sugar and place in the fridge until completely cool.
• while the lemon sugar is cooling, combine the yogurt and honey in a mini food chopper and pulse 10 times. set aside.
• to make the blueberry puree, in a small, heavy duty pan, combine the blueberries with 2 tablespoons of water and bring to a boil. when the blueberries start to pop, remove from the heat. let cool.
• when cool, puree in a mini chopper.
• strain lemon peels from simple syrup. add to yogurt mixture.
to assemble:
• fill small cups or molds 1/3 of the way with yogurt mixture. put in freezer for about 45 minutes.
• remove and pour a few tablespoons of the blueberry mixture on top of the semi frozen yogurt. swirl slightly with a skewer. let freeze for 20 minutes.
• top the semi frozen pops with the rest of the yogurt mixture, filling almost to the top of the cup. freeze completely, about 3 hours.
• unmold and store in an airtight container or eat right away!