strawberry-vanilla swirled frozen pops

several years ago i came across a recipe for sangria popsicles. they sounded too good and i just had to make them. i went on a search for the perfect popsicle molds and decided on these cute star shaped ones. and then? never made the sangria popsicles. not only that, i never made any popsicles at all. these babies have been tucked away, moved from apartment to apartment and never once filled with a delicious frozen treat. until now!

i saw this strawberry-vanilla pop recipe in the latest gourmet and.....i had to make it! strawberries have been perfectly sweet lately and when paired with the creamy vanilla? oh my goodness these are delicious. the only problem? my popsicles are stuck in the molds. the stick comes out but the popsicle? not a budge. maybe the molds are getting revenge for neglecting them for so long. luckily there was quite a bit left over after filling the molds so we have been enjoying this in a bowl, regular ol' ice cream style. it might not be as fun, but it's tasty nonetheless!


strawberry-vanilla swirled frozen popsicles
(from gourmet, may 2009)
ingredients:
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 cup sugar*
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 pints premium vanilla ice cream**

Equipment: 12 (1/3-cup) ice pop molds or 12 paper cups and 12 wooden sticks***

mash strawberries in a large bowl with a potato masher or a fork. transfer to a 12-inch nonstick skillet along with sugar and lemon juice and boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. transfer to a bowl, then freeze, uncovered, until cold, about 10 minutes.

transfer ice cream to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 30 percent power in 10-second intervals, stirring, until softened, about 50 seconds total. spread evenly in a 13-by 9-inch baking dish and freeze while strawberry mixture chills. if making your own ice cream, you can place it in the baking dish straight from the ice cream maker and freeze for a few minutes.

dollop tablespoons of strawberry mixture all over ice cream, then swirl it gently through ice cream with a spoon. spoon into molds (or into cups) and add sticks. freeze until firm, about 1 1/4 hours (and up to 4 days, covered).

*i only put in about 1/4 cup of sugar (cause i ran out) but i think that was a good thing because the strawberries on their own are so flavorful and sweet they don't really need sugar to help them out.
**i whipped up my own batch of vanilla soy ice cream but...ya know...whatever works for you
***or six popsicle molds and a tupperware for leftovers in case your pops get held hostage

-d