Prickly Pear Lemonade, Popsicles, Granita & Sorbet

Summer needs to be fun and easy. 

The meals and treats we make for our families ought to follow suit.

So, today I’ve shared four summer recipes that all branch from one mother recipe. 

If you memorize the base formula as a place to start,

adjust for the sweetness of fruits you choose,

only your imagination limits what you can create. 

For this post, I decided to incorporate a different ingredient from my home state of Arizona;

this product is from the Prickly Pear cactus.  Its oval, thorny fruit has a gorgeous,

edible fuchsia flesh.  When the pulp is separated from the skin and pureed, it delivers

a pure sweet flavor without being too saccharine – almost like a refreshing watermelon or a ripe gala apple.

I love the intense pink color and the balance it adds to tart lemons.

If you would like to try a twist on classic raspberry or strawberry pink lemonade treats,

give the Prickly Pear Fruit a go!

Base Formula for Fruit Drinks

like Lemonade, Popsicles, Granita & Sorbet

1 cup simple syrup* (recipe to follow)

2 cups fruit puree, fruit juice or nectar*

This is a 2:1 ratio, easy to remember. When using a sour ingredient like lemons,

this recipe will produce a more tart than sweet lemonade;

if you like yours sweeter add a little more simple syrup to taste.

However, if your strawberries or watermelon are incredibly ripe

and sweet on their own, use less simple syrup to avoid

a cloying effect when something is too sugary, think canned pie filling.

Prickly Pear  Base for Lemonade, Popsicles, Granita & Sorbet

– using the Base Formula with a minor tweak – keep reading…

Makes about 3 cups

 1/2 cup simple syrup

½ cup prickly pear syrup*

2 cups fresh lemon juice, strained  (about 8 large lemons)

In a glass jar or bowl, combine the ingredients.

-Notice how the ratio of sugar to fruit juice has remained the same from the Base Formula.

If you add the simple syrup and prickly pear syrup amounts, it still equals 1 cup sugar to 2 cups fruit juice.

Use your creativity in the kitchen and experiment with your own concoctions within the ratio;

adjusting sweetness when necessary.

Prickly Pear Lemonade

                                                                                                                  Makes 6 cups

Prickly pear base + 3 cups cold water

In a glass pitcher combine the ingredients with fresh lemon slices, stir and serve over ice. Add a few mint sprigs for extra pizazz.

Prickly Pear Popsicles

                                                                                                           Makes about 3 cups

Prickly pear base + ½ cup to 1 cup simple syrup

-Combine the Prickly Pear Base with a little more simple syrup because

the freezer dulls the sweetness of frozen treats.

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4 hours.

Run them under warm water to help release the mold, if needed.

Prickly Pear Granita

                                                                                                             Makes about 3 cups

Prickly pear base + ½ cup to 1 cup simple syrup

 Combine the Prickly Pear Base with a little more simple syrup because

the freezer dulls the sweetness.

Pour into a shallow glass pan, allow to freeze for 1 hour,

scrape the top layer of ice crystals to the center, then put the pan back into the freezer to freeze for another hour.

Repeat the scraping process every 30 minutes until the granita or ” ice crystals” are ready to serve.

Depending on the depth of the glass pan, it could take anywhere from 4 -8 hours.

Prickly Pear Sorbet

                                                                                                          Makes about 4 cups

Prickly pear base + ½ cup to 1 cup simple syrup

– Same as before: combine the Prickly Pear Base with a little more simple syrup because the freezer dulls the sweetness.

Pour the prickly pear base into an ice cream maker; follow the manufacturer’s instructions

to achieve the right consistency for your dessert.

Serve with crunchy waffle cone bits –bought mine at a local ice cream parlor.

“Ice Cream? Nope, making my own sorbet, Thanks!”

*for the popsicles & granita, I added 2/3 cup of simple syrup to the Prickly Pear Base. It was more tart than sweet. Yum.

For the sorbet, I added a full 1 cup simple syrup to the Prickly Pear Base.

The flavor of the finished sorbet began tart with a sweet middle note,

then ended softly acidic again for the refreshing palette cleanser

I was looking for after our big BBQ dinner.

I hope I have given you a range to work within,

with the flexibility to play and create with your children this summer.

I would love to know what you come up with!

 Chef Notes:

Simple Syrup recipe

Makes: a little over 1 cup

1 cup water

                                                        1 cup sugar ( I use evaporated cane juice 1:1)

Directions:  Bring sugar and water to a gentle boil, simmer until the sugar is dissolved.

Allow the mixture to cool.  Simple syrup may be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for 1 month.

 – this method creates liquid sugar so it blends with other products easier when cool,

if you would like to use another sweetener like agave, brown rice syrup, corn syrup,

or honey follow the manufacturer’s directions for ratio equivalents to 1 cup pure cane sugar.

These sweeteners will be easier to add to a drink base if they are combined with the water in this recipe.

Remember,  an advantage when making cold treats at home is to be able to adjust and minimize the sugar content compared to commercial brands. So, if you have incredibly sweet fruit, (only use a little bit of sugar + water) then allow the fruit to shine!

*nectar is usually found in the refrigerated juice section of the grocery store

–nectar is made up of fruit juice, but with a varied amount of sugar added, depending on the manufacturer

–read individual labels to know your product.

* When I find a great deal on lemons, I juice them all.

Stash it in the freezer -then we’re ready for a cold treat any day of the summer.

*Prickly pear syrup is a flavoring syrup product I bought at a local specialty store, but I have also purchased it from Amazon.com.

The product is essentially a manufactured prickly pear simple syrup; which is why I treated it like sugar in the recipe.

There are a couple companies that make this flavoring, but the one that tastes most like the real fruit is Cheri’s Desert Harvest.

In Latin markets late summer, I should be able to find the actual prickly pear fruit, (sometimes called paw paw) in the grocery store.

When I do, I’ll take a few pictures and show you how to make your own prickly pear syrup

or use the fruit as a puree alongside the lemon juice.  I am so excited!

Extra Notes you need a magnifying glass to read…