Cooks' Books by Lisa Messinger

"People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop" by Nathalie Jordi, David Carrell, and Joel Horowitz (Ten Speed, $16.99).

If the late Julia Child were making ice pops, she might have gravitated toward "People's Pops." With a title sounding much more casual than its sophisticated self, this is the cookbook to warm up your creative culinary skills while quenching your appetite for the most gourmet frozen delights on the planet.

Gourmands such as Child might appreciate the attention to the tiniest details and precise instructions, like this recipe for the fresh raspberries and cream pop that Martha Stewart called the best she had ever tasted while visiting one of the authors' line-out-the-door pop stands in New York City.

"Add the cream and stir very, very minimally," the trio writes. "The swirl effect in the finished pop is an aesthetic (and gustatory) effect really worth trying to achieve, and the act of pouring the cream into the molds will do a lot to homogenize the mixture, so don't over mix it."

Starting just in 2008, People's Pops stands quickly took the city by storm offering seasonal specialties prepared with the freshest ingredients, such as raspberry-basil, cantaloupe-tarragon, apple-salted caramel and peach-bourbon.

"Boozy pops," as they call them, are some of the stars, but imbibers are warned not to go too heavy or the pops won't freeze. As elsewhere in the book, alcohol is only used if it fuses perfectly with the other outstanding ingredients. That's the case with their cucumber-elderflower-tequila pops, of which they write in their enthusiastic style:

"Incredibly sophisticated but satisfying, too — this pop will rock your world. It's got these great bones made up of cucumber and elderflower — two really clean, wholesome flavors — but the tequila gives it a dirty, spicy edge. The texture is schizophrenic, too: cucumber freezes icily, elderflower gives it a buttery edge, and tequila softens the whole thing. This pop is a real party for your mouth, if you like that kind of thing. We do."

First, fundamentals are covered (variations on "fruit plus sugar plus freeze"), including more proof of the authors' chops. They explain, for instance, how "warm fruits" (such as pumpkin, pear, apple, peach) go best with "warm ingredients" (like caramel, cardamom, honey, vanilla and bourbon) and vice versa for cool fruits and cool ingredients.

The best advice, though, is often the simplest: Pop some of these pops into your mouth ASAP.

 

RASPBERRIES AND CREAM

Simple syrup:

2 / 3 cup (5 ounces) (preferably organic) cane sugar

2 / 3 cup (5 fluid ounces) water

Pops:

1 pound (4 cups) raspberries

1 / 2 cup (4 fluid ounces) heavy cream

Yields 10 pops.

To prepare simple syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is transparent.

Turn off the heat and let cool. (See note 1.)

Store in sealed container in the refrigerator. Yields 1 cup (8 fluid ounces); use 2 / 3 cup (5 fluid ounces) for this recipe.

To prepare pops:

Puree the raspberries in a food processor or smash with a potato masher. Transfer them to a bowl or measuring pitcher with a pouring spout and add the 2 / 3 cup (5 fluid ounces) simple syrup. Stir well and taste; significant seasonal variations in raspberries mean the sweetness of your mixture may need tweaking. Add the cream and stir very, very minimally. The swirl effect in the finished pop is an aesthetic (and gustatory) effect really worth trying to achieve, and the act of pouring the cream into the molds will do a lot to homogenize the mixture, so don't over mix it. (See note 2.)

Pour the mixture into your ice pop molds, leaving a little bit of room at the top for the mixture to expand. Insert sticks and freeze until solid, 4 to 5 hours. Unmold and transfer to plastic bags or serve at once.

Note 1: If you want to create your own pop recipes, simple syrup can be used plain or infused. Add any spices before the mixture starts to simmer; add any herbs only after you've turned off the heat.

Note 2: "This is the prettiest pop we make," write the authors. "We like to dribble a little bit of extra cream down one side of the mold (don't overdo it — a teaspoon is plenty). The cream will drip down and collect at the bottom of the mold, and when you pour in the raspberry mixture, the swirly effect is gorgeous."

 

CUCUMBER, ELDERFLOWER AND TEQUILA POPS

1 1 / 3 pounds cucumbers (about 3 medium), peeled

1 / 3 cup (3 fluid ounces) elderflower syrup

2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 / 4 to 1 / 3 cup (2 to 3 fluid ounces) tequila

Yields 10 pops.

Finely puree the cucumbers in a food processor. You should have about 2 1 / 2 cups (20 fluid ounces) of puree.

Transfer the pureed cucumbers to a bowl or measuring pitcher with a pouring spout and stir in the elderflower syrup and lemon juice and then the tequila. Taste and adjust, but be careful not to overdo the tequila, because too much will keep the pop from freezing.

Pour the mixture into your ice pop molds, leaving a little bit of room at the top for the mixture to expand. Insert sticks and freeze until solid, 4 to 5 hours. Unmold and transfer to plastic bags for storage or serve at once.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "After-Work Gourmet" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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