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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