Nectarine-Buttermilk Pops


I've always liked  nectarines better than peaches. Did you know that nectarines are just peaches with a recessive bald gene that make them fuzzless? lol  If you don't have buttermilk (like myself), you can make it by mixing 1 cup of milk with 1 TB of lemon juice or white vinegar. This recipe uses my favorite ginger liqueur  Domaine de Canton. If you don't have it, you could try mixing roasted nectarine with fresh basil. This recipe takes quite a bit of prep work, it's not as easy as my other popsicle recipes, but it's worth the effort. Roasting the fruit brings out a richer, sweeter flavor.These were more orange looking in person, although they look red in my photo.


Ingredients 
  • 2 lbs of nectarines, thinly sliced
  • 2.5 TB freshly squeeze lemon juice
  • 1 cup Ideal Sugar
  • 3 TB ginger liqueur
  • 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
  • ½ ts finely grated lemon zest
Directions
  1. In a medium saucepan, toss the sliced nectarines with 3/4 cup of the Ideal sugar and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and let stand until juicy, about 20 minutes. Bring the nectarines to a boil and simmer over low heat, mashing lightly, just until softened, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
  2. Transfer the nectarines to a food processor and pulse to a coarse puree. Strain the puree, pressing hard on the skins to extract as much juice as possible. Add 2 tablespoons of the ginger liqueur and ½ cup of water to the puree; you should have about 3 cups of loose puree. Fill the popsicle molds with half of the nectarine puree and freeze until firm but not solid, about 1 hour.
  3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the buttermilk with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, ½ tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of ginger liqueur and the lemon zest. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved, then refrigerate.
  4. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the popsicle molds and freeze for about 1 hour, until firm but not solid. Pour the remaining nectarine puree into the molds and add the sticks, pushing them nearly through the popsicles. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
  5. Dip the molds in hot water for a few seconds, then unmold the popsicles and serve right away.

Recipe source: foodandwine


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