Summertime Strawberry Sorbet (Pops)

Ah, Summer! Here in Maryland that means hiking, swimming, kayaking, chasing fireflies... and day after day of hot, sticky, humid weather that leaves you panting and sweat-soaked after just walking outside to get the mail. The antidote? Strawberry Sorbet Pops. You can make this recipe in your ice-cream maker and get actual sorbet, but I forgot to put the cold part of my machine in the freezer, so my girlfriends and I made pops instead. I think I like the pops better. What's that you say? You don't have retro-fabulous Tupperware Popsicle molds? Keep your eyes peeled at yard sales and thrift stores- they show up often. In the meantime just mold your pops in Dixie Cups with popsicle sticks or straws. Put a little foil over the top and poke your stick through, to hold it up until the sorbet freezes.

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh strawberries

3/4 C Sugar (yes, you really need that much. trust me!)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1tsp real vanilla extract

Directions:

Rinse the strawberries, remove the stems, and slice them up into a big bowl. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla and allow to sit for at least an hour, no more than two, until the berries get all juicy and mushy. The fancy cooking word for this is "macerate," which is very fun to say. Then dump the whole mess into your blender or food processor and puree it. Pour the puree into popsicle molds and freeze. Or, churn it into sorbet according to your ice-cream maker's instructions (don't forget to freeze the cold part of your machine the night before, like I did). These pops are delicious, sweet & creamy-textured, perfect for Summer. Enjoy!

(This recipe is slightly adapted from The Perfect Scoop of Strawberry Sorbet on www.yumsugar.com. Mainly we took out the kirsch and added vanilla, increased the lemon juice, and made pops instead of churned sorbet.)