strawberry and campari paletas | 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.

how to supreme an orange | apt 2b baking co.

Supremed citrus fruit is a beautiful garnish for all sorts of citrusy dishes – sweet & savory- and will make your fruit salads look classy as hell. The video below illustrating how to supreme an orange is the first in a new video series that Pete and I are tackling together. It will be full of basic kitchen techniques, and little how-tos - like how to frost a cake, roll out pie crust, and make rough puff pastry. I am so excited to share it with you today! Knowing how to confidently supreme any sort of citrus fruit is such a great back pocket technique that will make you look and feel fancy in the kitchen.

A few of my favorite recipes in Sweeter off the Vine call for supremed citrus fruit (grapefruit jam and a citrusy cake) too. While I did my best to describe how to do it in words, I think a visual reference is the best way to show this sort of technique. Let me know what you think in the comments, and let me know what techniques you'd like to see in this series too.

SOME NEWSY ANNOUNCEMENTS

The winner of the Sweeter off the Vine Mega Giveaway has been notified, thanks to everyone for entering! The Tasting Rome Giveaway is still open, all you have to do is leave a comment to enter.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Keep an eye on the events tab for events all Spring and Summer long!

I have two events to celebrate Sweeter off the Vine in New York this week, and I would love to see you all there.

Wednesday, April 6, 6:30-8:30pm

West Elm Market Brooklyn, NY

New York friends, please join me at the launch party for Sweeter off the Vine! We'll have treats and snacks, and a glass of something bubbly, all donated by my friends at Fresh Direct. Come say hello, I'll also be giving out hugs and hi-fives! Books available for purchase. please rsvp.

Saturday, April 9, 1-3pm

Whisk Brooklyn, NY

Book Signing, plus treats!

And I couldn’t leave you all without a little recipe to use your new orange supremes, if you haven't eaten them already. This granita is super easy to throw together and so stunningly gorgeous. It is bitter and sweet, tart and cooling. Granitas are a wonderful, light dessert, and they look beautiful with some supreme citrus on top.

Blood Orange and Campari Granita

makes about 3 cups

The bitter, herbaceous notes of Campari play so nicely with sweet/tart blood oranges for a light and refreshing dessert that is super easy to make. Substitute Aperol for the Campari for a slightly sweeter treat.

2 cups water, divided

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice

1/4 cup Campari

orange supremes to serve

Add one cup of the water and the sugar to a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the remaining water, blood orange juice, and Campari. Transfer the mixture to a glass baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Every 30 mins or so, scrape the surface of the mixture with a fork until it is completely frozen. Serve with supremes of citrus fruit on top.