Strawberry and Campari Paletas from Sweeter off the Vine

It's popsicle week, y'all! Billy from Wit and Vinegar arranges this annual frozen treat fun-fest and I am so happy to play along this year with one of my favorite warm weather recipes from Sweeter off the Vine!

I have been seriously obsessed with strawberries this Spring. I'm not sure if they are better this year than they have been in the past or what, but I straight-up cannot resist them every time I hit the market. Aside from eating them by the handful, I have been making all sorts of strawberry tarts, shortcakes, and frozen treats like these paletas. They are perfectly bitter-sweet, and perfectly cooling on a hot summer day. You can even turn them into a cocktail of sorts by dipping the pops in a glass of super-chilled prosecco or rose. Love.

See more popsicle week fun here.

Strawberry and Campari Paletas

makes 6-10, depending on the size of your molds

from Sweeter off the Vine

Paletas are ice pops made from fresh fruit; this version combines sweet strawberries and bitter, herbaceous Campari for a grown- up frozen treat. Be careful not to get too carried away with the Campari—too much booze and these pops won’t freeze. For a refreshing cocktail, try serving the paletas dipped in a glass of Prosecco: trust me, it’s delicious.

1 pound (450g) strawberries

5 tablespoons (60g) sugar

1/4 cup (60ml) Campari

juice of 1/2 lemon, about 4 teaspoons

pinch salt

Hull the strawberries and slice them in half. Add them, along with the rest of the ingredients, to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste the mixture and adjust the level of sweetness if necessary by adding more sugar, one teaspoon at time. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and pour into frozen pop molds. Freeze the pops until completely firm, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Caramel Tapioca Pudding

Tapioca pudding is one of those old fashioned foods that I LOVE. Gimme your prunes, bran muffins, pineapple upside down cakes with neon maraschino cherries, jello I love them all. I think one of the first things I ever “cooked” was jello instant pudding. I loved the magic that happened when milk and powder was whisked together and chilled. Magic. While instant jello pudding still has it’s appeal, homemade pudding is almost as easy. All you need is a bit of milk, sugar, thickener, and flavorings. This version is a bit grown up, thanks to the extra step of caramelizing the sugar before adding the rest of the ingredients. I like to eat it a bit warm, with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream on top.

p.s. We released the trailer for my book last week, if you haven’t seen it, please check it out!

Caramel Tapioca Pudding

Serves 6-8

4 cups whole milk, divided

1/3 cup small tapioca pearls

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon salt

unsweetened whipped cream, to serve

Combine one cup of the milk and the tapioca pearls in a bowl. Let sit for 1 hour.

When you are ready to cook the rest of the pudding. Add the sugar to a dry, heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook the sugar over medium heat, until it is melted and deep amber in color. Stir occasionally if the sugar isn’t browning evenly in the pan.

Gradually and carefully stir in the remaining milk, it will bubble and spit, while whisking constantly. Stir until the sugar is completely melted into the sugar. Then add the soaked tapioca.

Simmer the mixture, stirring often, until the tapioca is cooked through and translucent.  In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with a splash of water, then whisk it along with the salt into the pudding. Stir constantly until the mixture has thickened and the cornstarch is cooked, another couple of minutes.

Serve slightly warm, or chilled with dollops of unsweetened whipped cream.