Indian Summer Paletas

By Marilyn Hunter

I love Indian summer in California. Just when everyone is getting ready for sweaters and football season, Californians are enjoying the remains of those warm summer days. These are heat wave days in L.A. with temperatures into the 100s. For those of us who don’t have a pool, we often turn to popsicles for relief. And keepin’ it real in L.A. means not just any popsicle, but a Mexican paleta.

If you’ve never visited a paletería, it’s time you did. Paletas are ice pops made from fresh fruit. They come in a wide variety of flavors from mango, pineapple and tamarind to arroz con leche and cucumber with chile y limón. I once read that if summer in L.A. had a flavor, it would be mango con chile.

Here’s a simple recipe for the boys’ favorite paleta flavor, strawberries & cream that can be made at home as you enjoy the remains and the flavors of Indian summer at your house.

¡ Viva las paletas!

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Strawberries & Cream Paletas

2 cups strawberries
1/2 sugar
1/4 cup cream
Squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice, to taste

Wash strawberries and slice off hulls with a butter knife. Set aside 4 large strawberries and purée the rest in a blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend again until frothy and combined.

Pour the mixture into 4 popsicle molds. Thread a strawberry on a popsicle stick and insert the stick into the mix. Freeze the popsicles overnight.

Makes 4 servings

Ben and Nick had a great time making their Strawberry & Cream paletas…and parents, since the sharpest knife required is a butter knife, the kids can do their own cutting.

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