It feels like I was only complaining last week that it was still cold here in Toowoomba. All of a sudden the temperature has slowly risen to a comfortable and summery level. I sighed with relief that winter was final past us and we could start enjoying some bright and warm, sunny days. I probably will be complaining in a few weeks for a cool respite but in the mean time I have been relishing this warmer weather.

Summer for me is all about being outside and enjoying the sunshine, long walks in the beautiful mornings mornings and I love going for a swim to invigorate me for the day to come. It's also about shorts, flowy dresses and singlet tops. Summer foods for me is about tantilizing tropical fruits such as mangoes, stone fruits and watermelon. Fresh crisp salads, BBQ's on the deck and a cold glass of chardonnay watching the sunset.

But the best thing of all about summer is eating an ice block after a hot and sticky, humid day. In the cool of the evening, sitting on the deck licking your way througha delicious mango and passionfruit iceblock is heaven on a stick. I fondly remember the bubble-O-bill iceblocks as a child. I loved the bubble gum nose at the end! As I got older I fell in love with the macadamia cornetto until the day I got diagnosed as being lactose intolerant. Not a happy day because now icecream (among other things) was off the bill! In the early years of my diagnosis I didn't know what other options of "ice cream" that I could eat apart from the water iceblocks. I found mango sorbet and fell in love with it and recently found coconut icecream. So the market is slowly coming up with dairy alternatives which is a nice change!

These little delights are dairy free, low in sugar and so yummy try stopping at one. If you don't have popsicle moulds simply place the mixture into disposable plastic cups and place a paddle pop stick into the mixture when it has firmed up in the freezer for a while. The possibilites are endless of what other combinations you can make with this recipe, strawberries and white chocolate, chocolate and caramel... mmm the list could go on.

Mango, Macadamia & Passionfruit Popsicles

{Download & Print Recipe}

Makes 6 popsicles

Ingredients:

400ml organic coconut milk

¼ cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tsp coconut essence

½ tsp vanilla essence

400g mango, fresh or tinned

Pulp of 2 x medium passionfruit

¼ cup macadamia, finely chopped *optional*

Method:

Place the mango into a blender and blend until smooth. Fill ¼ of the popsicle moulds with the mango mixture, set aside the remaining mango mixture for the ice cream. Place the popsicle moulds in the freezer to firm the mango mixture up.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Add the coconut milk to the egg mixture and whisk until combined.

Transfer coconut mixture to a sauce pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly for about 8- 10 minutes until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let the mixture boil as this will curdle the egg. Remove from heat and add the essence, remaining mango mixture, passionfruit and macadamias.

* If you have an ice cream maker transfer contents of the saucepan to a bowl and chill until cold. Process mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and then transfer to the popsicle moulds to freeze in the freezer.

*If you don’t have an ice cream maker, transfer the contents of the saucepan to a bowl and place into the freezer. Every 30-50 minutes remove the mixture and give it a good stir. Repeat this process 4 -5 times. By doing this it will stop ice-crystals forming and your ice cream will not be one big ice block. Once your custard has a firmer, ice cream consistency place into the popsicle mould and freeze overnight.