A couple weeks ago, my fabulous friends Kate and Cam hosted a BBQ.
After what was an epic menu of smoked ribs, Underground Butcher sausages, corn salads, Sichuan green beans, and much much more, Kate busted out a bucket full of paletas.
Paletas are Mexican popsicles that come in all the right flavors. There was pistachio, there was strawberry (Theo’s choice), there was coffee, and there was mango chile (my favorite). They were exactly what everyone needed after the heat of the day, and I don’t think there was a single one left at the end of the party.
I, of course, can never eat something new and then not spend the next couple of days thinking about how to recreate it.
This all lined up nicely with sweet corn being at its peak season. I was thinking about making Mexican street corn with it, but then remembered the paletas. Could sweet corn be used in popsicles?
Turns out yes. Also turns out this wasn’t an original idea. So this weekend while up our cabin, I decided to give the New York Times’ recipe a shot. The popsicles turned out creamy and delicious, although I wish I had poured the mixture through a fine mesh sieve before putting them into the molds, as I wanted a smoother texture. I’ve added that into the recipe notes in case you want that as well.
If you’ve had your fill of sweet corn eaten straight off the cob (if there is such a thing) and want to try something new, paletas may be just the thing.
- 3 cobs of corn, kernels cut from cob (about 2½ cups), cobs reserved
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 serrano chile, halved, seeds removed if you don't want too much heat
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- juice of ½ a lime
- zest of ½ a lime
- Chile powder
- In a large saucepan, combine corn kernels, cobs, milk, serrano chile, salt, and sugar. Over medium low heat, bring to a simmer, taking care not to boil. Reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove cobs and serrano pepper (do not discard). Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree corn mixture until smooth. Blend in sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest. Pour mixture into a large bowl and add cobs back in. You can also add peppers back in if you want more heat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- When ready to pour into molds, remove the cobs and serrano pepper. Optional: if you want a smoother popsicle, strain through a fine mesh strainer.
- Pour mixture into popsicle molds (about 10 4-ounce molds or 12 3-ounce molds). Freeze for about 50 minutes, then insert popsicle sticks. Free for an additional 4 hours or overnight until firm.
- To unmold, run popsicles under hot water until they pop out of the mold. Sprinkle generously with chile pepper before serving.
Recipe adapted from The New York Times.
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