Paletas (Mexican Fruit Pops) : IHCC

Hi to all you lovely Senoritas!!  Second week of Mexican yummies with Rick Bayless at I Heart Cooking Clubs, with this week's theme "Sweet Tooth"! So I made Paletas!, otherwise known as Iced Fruit Pops!

The word "paleta" translated means "blade" or "stick". Mexican Paletas have been called Mexican Popsicles or frozen fruit bars. Whatever names they are called, they are refreshingly yummy! I'm sure that most of us, at some time or other have made our version of Popsicles. Well, for this post, I'm sticking with the name "Paletas", it sounds more Mexican and  "sophisticated" since this is a post on Mexican cuisine (in this case, dessert!) after all! And saying "Paletas" makes me feel a little bit closer to Mexico! LOL!

I used two ripe mangoes for these, you may use any fruits you want. No exact measurement, simply taste and adjust to your taste.

You may follow the instructions as per the recipe below, or just follow what I did, pureed EVERYTHING in the blender, then pour into paletas mould and freeze.

I only have one set of 4 popsicle moulds, so I froze the balance in long plastic that was meant for our local ice cream. The difficult part is the waiting! Yup, the Paletas takes a couple of hours to freeze!

Just cut them up in equal lengths, still in the plastic, poke the stick gently right in the middle about halfway through and remove the plastic! It will be easier to do this when the Paletas are almost frozen. Cut them up, insert the stick about halfway through and continue freezing until hard.

Surprise the kids with these after their afternoon meal, when they are back from school, hot and hungry! Will definitely bring a smile! They did mine, and they are asking me, "Mommy, what flavour are you making next?" !!!

This post is linked to I Heart Cooking Clubs where the theme is "Sweet Tooth". Please do visit IHCC for other delicious Mexican desserts!

Paletas (Mexican Fruit Pops)
(source from : fronterafiesta, Rick Bayless)
Makes 8, 2-ounce popsicles
2 scant cups coarsely pureed peeled and  pitted fruit (for really thick purees, like mango, you'll probably want to use 1-1/2 cups of fruit and a 1/2 cup of water, with looser purees, I wouldn't add any water)
1 to 4 tablespoons superfine sugar
1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice (I use lemon juice)

In a medium-size bowl or in a 1-quart measuring cup with a pour spout, combine the fruit with the minimum quantities of sugar and lime. Taste and determine what your fruit needs. Remember : when the mixture is frozen, flavours will be slightly muted, go for slightly sweeter and slightly tarter than you'd normally like. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved completely, then fill your moulds, leaving about 1/4 inch of head space to allow for expansion. Set the lids in place and insert the sticks through the holes, leaving 1-1/2 to 2 inches exposed.

Freeze until firmly set (this should take a couple of hours, though feel free to make them several days ahead if that's more convenient). To remove the pops, first remove the lids, then squeeze the sides of the mold, twisting them slightly, to dislodge the pop. (If necessary, rinse the molds under hot water first). These look festive and fun set out for your friends in a chilled bowl, all the sticks poking up.