Parsley-Lemonade Ice Pops {#SummerOfThePopsicle Guest Post: Kahakai Kitchen}

Please welcome my friend Deb today.  I think I've "known" Deb for about 4 years now - she was one of the first people I "met" when I first started blogging.  To this day, we still cook "together" by bringing our shared love of foodies movies and foodie books to life in the kitchen.  And she may be the only person in the world who loves soup more than I do.  Oh, and did I meantion that Deb lives in paradise (aka Hawaii)?  It's true, and I am jealous.  I can totally see myself on the beaches of Hawaii with one of these babies in each hand!

Who's Holding the Stick: Deb from Kahakai Kitchen

It’s the Summer of the Popsicle! Actually living in a place where the temperature comes in at the mid-70’s to mid 80’s°F, I enjoy popsicles most of the year. But still, when the trade winds die off and the humidity rises, there is nothing like a popsicle or paleta to cool down with. So I am very excited to be “holding the stick” this week for my pal Heather and offering up a popsicle inspired by the lemonade at my favorite restaurant.

 If you come to Oahu and ask me for a restaurant recommendation (and are looking for excellent inventive food and not a touristy luau!), I am going to send you to Town in Kaimuki. In fact, I’ll meet you there! Town does everything well—their motto is “Local first, organic whenever possible, with Aloha always.”  Homemade bread and pasta, house-cured meats abound but I salivate just thinking about their French fries—perfectly crisp and fried with assorted herbs so in addition to the potatoes, you get pieces of crisp herby goodness with each bite. Lunch or dinner, it has to be started or accompanied by the fries and a something tasty to drink. Although they do have a fantastic menu of cocktails, at lunchtime I prefer a glass of Town Lemonade—a spot-on blend of sweet and tangy with a shot of parsley juice. I think a big part of the allure (we eat with our eyes), is the layer of bright green on top of the lemonade. But the little burst of the green, almost grassy herb is refreshing. Yep, a bowl of fries and a big glass of Town lemonade and you can color me happy.

Photos by Town Restaurant, The Honolulu Star-Adviser & Kahakai Kitchen

 When coming up with my guest post entry for Summer of The Popsicle, there are plenty of tropical fruits and things to choose from here. Still, my mind kept going back to the lemonade and how great it would taste frozen on a stick.  These pops might seem a little odd (although I prefer quirky like me!) and they are probably for more adult palates. Still, they do taste fantastic—fresh and sweetly tart. They are the perfect way to cool down on a hot day. And, with that parsley and lemon combination, they would make a heck of a palate cleanser too! ;-)

Parsley Lemonade Ice-Pops
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen, inspired by Town Restaurant 

For six pops (depending on the size of your molds of course):
-about 2 cups strong lemonade: 

• I used about 1 ¼ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice with about ¼ cup agave syrup and ½ cup water and 1 drops yellow food-coloring (optional to pep up the color). 

•  You could also buy your lemonade—bottled or frozen concentrate. It is best if it is a bit stronger than you would drink it—so all of the flavor comes through when frozen).

• Chill until you are ready to assemble pops. Layered pops work better and take less time when the liquids are cold. 

-about ¾ fresh parsley juice: 

• If you have a juicer use a medium-large bunch of fresh, flat-leaf parsley (leaves and stems), washed and patted dry. Juice parsley, strain if needed, and chill until ready to assemble pops. 

• If you don’t have a juicer, place a large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, (leaves and stems) washed and left damp, into a good blender or food processor and puree on high until as smooth as possible. (You may have to add a little water to get it going in the blender.) Then put the mixture through a fine sieve, pushing against any solids with a wooden spoon to get as much juice as possible.  Chill until ready to assemble pops. 

To assemble pops:

•  Starting with the lemonade mixture, pour about an inch or so into the bottom of molds. Put the molds into the freezer and let set for about 30 minutes or until fairly firm. 

• Pour about 1/3 to inch of the parsley juice on top of the frozen lemonade and return molds to freezer for about 40 minutes or until firm. (Note: the parsley layer seems to take longer to firm up. You can tell from the layering on some of my pops that my first parsley layer wasn’t as firm as it should have been. 

• Continue to alternate layers until molds are full. At the final layer, insert the popsicle sticks. If you have trouble inserting the sticks into the frozen mixture, use the tip of a pairing knife to carefully make a slit into the center of the frozen pop, then insert stick. The last layer of liquid should freeze the sticks into place.  

• Freeze for several hours, or overnight. When ready to enjoy, carefully remove molds and serve. 

There you have it! You could of course just mix it all up together rather than layering, but it looks prettier and it is fun to get a lick of the lemonade, then a hit of the parsley layer, and then back to the lemonade… you get the picture.

Enjoy with Aloha!



Mmmmm...these sound ridiculously refreshing, don't they!? Thanks so much, Deb! I hope you'll drop by and visit Deb at her blog, Kahakai Kitchen (psssttt.... if you make soup, salads, or sandwiches at any given time during the week, she has a weekly round-up on Sundays called Souper Sundays.  Send her over your posts and she'll share them!).  You can also find her on twitter.