Frozen Frenzy

Note: This column appeared in The Chapel Hill News and is reproduced here for blog readers because the newspaper does not maintain its links.

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., the Spoonstress and I made a seasonally appropriate detour to our favorite snow cone vendor. On a 98-degree day, we plunked down $6 for two cones of sugary-ice. They almost cooled us down.

In writing about the summer, it’s hard not to sound like an air-conditioning salesman. Such words as “sweltering” and “oppressive” hop onto the page. But my definition of summer heat is when you’re sitting in the shade, having a snow cone and you’re still sweating.

Sometimes you’re just gonna be hot. It is summertime, after all. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try to stay cool. And there isn’t a more energy-efficient way to do that than having a Popsicle.

Normally, that craving will put you at the mercy of your grocer’s freezer case. While you can do OK at some stores — Food Lion’s banana pops pack a punch of flavor —most of the offerings aren’t too exciting. (Note to local grocers — whither the Toasted Almond bar?)

To break free from the red, orange and purple doldrums, you have to head to Durham’s Loco Pops. There, a multi-flavored, arctic-like oasis awaits. As store owner and treat maker Summer Bicknell puts it, a pop “is, for me, a 10-minute trip to somewhere colder.”

While talking pops with Bicknell, I managed to sample some of her handiwork, including an amazing pineapple basil variety. I had planned to end my chat with Bicknell by pleading with her to open a Chapel Hill location. To my surprise, I didn’t have to beg.

“We’re looking at that — maybe next year,” Bicknell said. “We need to expand because our location is too small and Chapel Hill is high on the list.”

There you have it, Fork & Spoon’s first foray into breaking news. Now don’t get too excited, there was a “maybe” in her first sentence. But it’s encouraging nonetheless.

In the meantime, you’ll have to either hoof it to Durham or make your own. To that end, Bicknell gave me one recipe from her arsenal: Rosemary Lemon pops.

After being pleasantly surprised by Bicknell’s pineapple basil pop, I was OK with the idea of using rosemary. Then I saw how much it called for — 3/4 cup — and was a bit anxious things would get too savory. The cup of sugar soothed my nerves.

Now I should admit that I employed some creative rosemary harvesting. I would elaborate, but my lawyer advised against it. Let’s just say that if you looked for it, there would be plenty around to be liberated. Between the free rosemary and the other three ingredients — lemons, water and sugar — these pops are probably cheaper than the gallon of gas it’d take to get to Loco Pops.

Bear in mind that making these pops is a two-day process, because you need to refrigerate the rosemary syrup overnight and the treats need time to freeze. But before you put the paper down, it is an easy two-day recipe, if that helps. There’s really no need to chop up the rosemary, as it’s all getting strained out anyway. And dissolving sugar in water is about as painless as it gets.

You’ll need some sort of mold, although an ice cube tray could be pressed into service in desperation. The Spoonstress and I have two varieties, the far better being the inexpensive Kerr Drug models with a bottom cup and built-in straw that allows you to suck out the melted juice. I’m not sure whether the straw molds signal the pinnacle or the decline of our civilization, but I can see them baffling future archaeologists.

But let’s get back to those molds’ contents. When I made the rosemary-sugar mixture, I was sure there’d be too much of the herb. Then I tasted the finished product and had a hard time remembering another ingredient besides lemon. Never again will I underestimated the power of citrus.

A word of warning: That first lick can be a bit jarring. You may not want to operate heavy machinery when that happens.

“It sure wakes up your mouth,” the Spoonstress noted.

After a few tastes, though, your tongue gets acclimated to the tartness and the greener notes make themselves heard.

Of course, I suspect that strength of citrus had something to do with the fact that I hand-squeezed real lemons. After having done so, I heard back from Bicknell that while she usually uses fresh fruit, she employs reconcentrated lemon juice for this one. Given that, I’ll understand if you don’t feel like juicing 10 lemons. But I’ll be a little disappointed.

As for experimenting with flavors, which I highly encourage, Bicknell has two bits of advice. To make a simple solution to which you’d add fruit juice, heat equal parts sugar and water. There’s no such thing as too much creativity, unless it involves seafood.

On a sweeter note, Bicknell advises, “Whenever you freeze something, it loses some flavor. If a batch tastes perfect, add some more sugar.”

It is summer, after all.


Rosemary Lemon pops

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
3/4 cup fresh rosemary
1-1/3 cup lemon juice )using reconcentrated lemon juice will emphasize the rosemary)
Place chopped rosemary into a lidded, nonreactive container large enough to hold 4 cups of liquid. Add sugar to water over high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and pour over rosemary. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight and then strain out rosemary. Add lemon juice. Pour into molds and freeze for eight hours. Makes about 8 pops.