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Summer is busting out all over and this icy book is just the sweet ticket to an oasis of cool (even if only for the tongue). Best be careful where you shelve this brand new tome of freezer-bound pleasure, lest the kids see and you’re forced to spend the next fortnight whipping up batch after endless batch of frozen delight. Then again – when you see the recipes in store, you may not need much convincing.
Blow the diet, you’re far more active during the summer months anyway, non? From the eye-candy cover to the retro-inspired typesetting and design, you’ll be licking the pages well before you even reach for the ice cream maker. And never fear – if you’re too frightened to invest in an ice cream maker (I know I am; there’s enough hip padding in this house already), there are instructions on how to create similarly luscious treats without one.
Popsicle begins with a short intro convincing us that popsicles are back, big time – but not as we know them. Author Alison Thompson says these luscious creations are easier than they look, and that a crisp chocolate coating and dollops of fudge, nuts and caramel are simple additions, once you’ve mastered the basic techniques of popsicle creation. Notes and recommendations on ingredients is followed by the equipment needed to create your best scrumptious treats, and the author also provides tips for making the best popsicles possible.
If you’re eyeballing those stick-bound, gravity-defying delicacies on the front cover with some trepidation, you’ll be heartened to know the first chapter in Popsicle features sorbet and ice cream recipes that can be scooped straight from a completely non-threatening punnet. Recipes include classic fruity sorbets, followed by basic ice creams (vanilla, chocolate and banana) – then those with a little more creative zing, such as gingerbread, meringue and liquorice. Salted caramel is definitely one creamy recipe I have my thighs – I mean, eyes – on.
The popsicle recipes follow on from ‘ice cream and sorbets’ by including their recipes in the creation of some pretty slick-looking collection of bliss-on-a-stick. In the mood for peanut caramel? Honey and pine nut? Gingerbread fellows, complete with smartie buttons? What about rainbow popsicles, doused in hundreds and thousands, or vanilla and lemon, squiggled with white chocolate? I have a serious eye on the raspberry swirl and the rum-raisin and almond – but the cookie sandwiches on a stick may just win the race.
Most popsicles are coated in chocolate, making this a decadently rich line-up of recipes that would perfectly suit the festive season in Australia – offering as much satisfaction to the adult consumer, as the child. Gorgeously photographed and compact, this is a book you’ll be flicking through until it’s sticky. And yes, it may even finally convince me I need an ice cream maker.