Where Can I Buy Coconut Cream

Paletas — Mexican ice pops — are perfect summer treats

I scream, you scream, we all should scream for . . . paletas.

No, it doesn't rhyme, but there's still plenty of synchronicity between the creamy, dreamy Mexican ice pops and summer's most flavorful fruits. When mangoes, peaches or cherries are at their most luscious, mix pulpy flesh with water and sugar and scoop the mixture into Popsicle molds. Six hours later, you've got frozen treats with the pow-pow power to refresh.

It's not just fruit that makes paletas so distinctive. Savory herbs or hot chili tangle with sweet ingredients. Toasted coconut or chopped nuts provide texture and taste. And even seemingly odd ingredients, like avocado and cucumber, make perfect sense. A bit of booze — think rum and coconut — isn't out of the question either.

Making paletas is a fun summer project, especially with the kids out of school, but you can also buy them at Mexican markets around the bay area, including Clearwater's La Reyna De Michoacan (1915 Drew St.; (727) 467-0092) and La Feria de la Nieve Ice Cream (1390 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd.). Paletas made by Donna Tortorice and her son, Martin Scott, of Pop Craft Pops in Sarasota (popcraftpops.com) were a big hit in their inaugural season at the St. Petersburg's Saturday Morning Market. Her stall often had a line, drawing lots of children with their mothers in search of more healthful treats.

The market is closed for the summer, but Pop Craft is one of a smaller group of vendors that has moved to Williams Park in downtown St. Petersburg for a Saturday market through August.

Scott, who is a certified sommelier, comes up with the flavor profiles, says Tortorice, and his signature paleta is lemon blueberry basil.

"He actually creates the flavor profiles by combining flavors and smells. He has the unique ability of being able to pair flavors without even tasting," Tortorice says.

While paletas have been a trend for years in Los Angeles and other cities with sizeable communities of Mexican immigrants, they are reaching a wider market now. A new book, Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice and Aguas Frescas by Fany Gerson (Ten Speed Press), is a colorful introduction to the world of ice-cold Mexican refreshments. Paletas are served throughout Latin America, but it's widely believed that the fruity ice pop was born in Michoacán, Mexico.

There are two kinds of paletas, water-and-juice versions and those made with cream or milk. The hallmark of both is chunks of fruit laced throughout the pop. Sink your teeth into the icy sweetness and be happy when you hit a fat strawberry chunk as the smell of crushed mint hits your nose. Likewise the tingle of cayenne pepper plays nicely with soft, frozen mango and your taste buds.

Giveaway: Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate

As my regular readers know, I am a fan of Tropical Traditions’ natural coconut products. So when an opportunity to review their coconut cream concentrate came along, I knew our family would love to try it.

As usual, my order arrived in about a week and was very well packaged. I love that this company takes care to ensure that their products arrive safely to the consumer. Since I had never tried the Coconut Cream Concentrate, I first looked over this section of the recipes here to find a couple of recipes I thought our family would enjoy.

The first one we tried was the Quick Chocolate Coconut Pudding/Fudge . First, I assembled my ingredients. Unfortunately, my local grocery store does not carry organic cocoa powder, so I had to substitute with a “natural cocoa powder” readily available to me.

This was a simple recipe to prepare that required no baking in my kitchen, which I really appreciated since it is June here–and it can get hot in Alabama. I had not worked with the Coconut Cream concentrate before, and it does take a little time to mix the separated coconut oil back into the coconut meat. This video demonstrates the process:

After mixing the coconut cream together, I measured the ingredients step by step, adding them to a bowl and mixing well.

Then I poured into a glass dish and refrigerated my fudge.

This recipe called for a range in the amount of honey added. I aimed for halfway between the least and the most amount of honey suggested and doubled the recipe. My husband and I thought it was good, but we felt it was more bittersweet than the 60% cocoa dark chocolate chips we normally buy. The resulting fudge texture was wonderful, though. It melted in our mouths. It was just not very sweet, and our children agreed that it should have been sweeter. Next time we will try a little more honey.

We also tried out the Quick Lemon Coconut Candy (No Bake) recipe here .

I began with zesting a lemon. I used the “fine” side of my grater.

I added the coconut cream concentrate.

I measured the organic raw honey which I recently reviewed for Tropical Traditions, added lemon juice and mixed well.

Then I formed the candy into balls with my hands, and rolled about one third of them into shredded coconut for the ones in my family who really enjoy coconut. My yield was about two dozen candies. We had to be patient, because I had to chill the candy before eating.

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