It�s Wit and Vinegar�s WORLD FAMOUS POPSICLE WEEK! The hottest (yet, chilliest/chillest) week of the year! Check out the 2017 popsicle week page for a plethora of pops. Some are covered in toasted marshmallow (!), some are made with pudding, others are boozy and fruity, a few have chunks of cake in them. And this, my friends, is mine: The Passionate Palmer Pop�. 
It�s a sordid love affair, a steamy (yet frosty) summer romance between everyone�s favorite non-alcoholic drink named after a golfer, the Arnold Palmer, and the tangy sweet tropical seductress, Passionfruit. We�re talkin� sweet and sour, sticky and melty, and as refreshing as a glass of iced tea on a hot summer day. We have intrigue. We have temptation. We have PASSION. And tea and lemon. We have passionfruit Arnold Palmers (tea + lemonade combo) in one cool, frozen package. 
My sister and I were throwing out popsicle flavor ideas, and when we landed on passionfruit Arnold Palmers, and the name Passionate Palmers, we laughed hysterically. Partially because we think we�re hilarious no matter what we say, but mostly because we had an 8th grade teacher named Mrs. Palmer, who also happened to be the mom of one of my best friends growing up. Like the true middle schoolers we are at heart, it�s just funny saying passionate + a teacher�s name. RIGHT!? (Is this the part where we make the calculator say boobs*?) #growupalready. 
I had to search pretty far and wide to find any sort of passionfruit anything. Seattle has no passion. When I was about to give up, I got over my hating-tourist-season-at-the-market infliction, and tried Pike Place Market, and of course, found everything I needed: frozen passion fruit pulp and whole passionfruit fruits. The whole passionfruit is fun because it adds some fresh flavor and the cute crunchy seeds, but if you can�t find them, the frozen pulp will do. I found mine at the Mercado Latino, the Latin grocery at Pike Place. When it doubt, try a Hispanic/ Latin grocery. I used the Goya brand frozen pulp, which is 100% passion fruit pulp (no sweetener, etc). If you can�t find that, my next suggestion would be passionfruit nectar or juice (Goya also has one, or try a Hawaiian brand�look for lilikoi instead of passionfruit), but don�t add extra sweetener to the pops, as those drinks are usually pretty sweet. And if all of the above fails, and you live in a passionless pit, I think pureed mango would be pretty good here too! 
Don�t forget to visit Billy�s #popsicleweek page to enjoy fun pops all summer long!Passionate Palmer pops (passionfruit arnold palmer popsicles)
Makes ~10 standard sized popsicles
2 cups water 4 tea bags (basic black tea, like Lipton) 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from approx. 2 whole lemons) 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2/3 cup frozen passionfruit puree/ pulp 2 whole passionfruit | Boil water, then steep tea bags for about 10 minutes, until you have a dark, strong tea (but not like, impossible to consume dark). You can either simmer the bags in a pot with the water, or just boil, remove from heat, and steep, covered. Chill tea until cool (in refrigerator, or over an ice bath). While tea is chilling, cut open both whole passionfruit, and scoop the insides (seeds and all, they�re edible!) into the bottom of each of your popsicle molds. Freeze until solid, about 20 minutes. Add lemon juice, maple syrup, and passionfruit puree to chilled tea (Note: the frozen passionfruit comes pretty solid. To use it, I first broke it up and added it, with a splash of water, to the blender, just to get it to loosen up to a thick soft-serve, sorbet like consistency. You could also just try thawing it like a normal patient person). Whisk or stir until combined. Taste, and add more maple syrup as needed (depending on how sour/tangy versus sweet you like it). Pour mixture into popsicle molds, over frozen passionfruit. Insert sticks and freeze until solid. |
*Speaking of 8th grade and boobs... my mom, sister, and I recently reminisced about the time I tried to stuff my bra (with wadded up tissues) for a middle school dance, and as my friend and I were leaving the house, my mom SO EMBARRASSINGLY, IN FRONT OF MY FRIEND, told me to take it out! I died a thousand angsty deaths. But in hindsight, I think she did me a huge favor:
Amanda: How'd you know she stuffed? Were they too big?
Mom: No, they were just super lumpy and weird shaped!
