Watermelon and Lime Ice Lollies

A picnic in a heatwave and the best treat to cool down

Toulouse endured a scorcher this week - on Tuesday, the thermostat hit 37C. Coincidentally, it was the day the scaffolders were clattering around, moving their scaffolding to the other wall so Gaylord and I had to, for the sake of our eardrums, escape.

Off we went into the baked barren city, looking like a cross between lone survivors of an apocalypse and tourists (I was handed numerous leaflets for river boating excursions). We took a picnic of leftover homemade falafels (made by Gaylord’s fair hand) and salad and yoghurt dressing and bought a baguette and tried to get into the riverside park, Prairie des Filtres, to no luck. France has many bad habits, but one I think I will never climb down off my high horse about is the fact this country doesn’t communicate - oh this busy public space is closed? Bah, they’ll work it out when they can’t get in, let’s go have a cigarette.

So we went to the riverbank and picnicked in peace because the city was on fire and no one except us was out (except one man asking Gaylord for a cigarette and then gave us a monologue on his love for Pikachu - not for no reason mind, Gaylord has Pikachu tattooed on his leg, apparently it’s a talking point. My relationship with Pikachu extends to three Pokémon cards around 22 years ago).

Anyway, after this sweltering excursion, we went home to where the scaffolders were still merrily drilling away but by now we didn’t care because we probably had heat stroke, and I joyously devoured a watermelon and lime ice lolly. All to the melodic rumble of a drill.

Ice lollies, or popsicles, are in the same category as Pikachu - nostalgic and pretty adorable, especially in these cute lolly moulds. I bought my lolly moulds from the supermarket for only 2.29. I mean, the price is evident looking at them - flimsy is the best word I’d use - but I was just delighted with this bargain.

Ice lollies are defined as flavoured ice or ice cream on a stick, but I think there is room for debate here. What about Calippos? There’s no stick involved there. And can we really say an ice cream like a Magnum is an ice lolly? Yet Mini Milks - are they ice creams or ice lollies? It’s a whole realm of intrigue I tell you - all opinions are welcome.

I made some ice lollies/ice creams on sticks a few weeks ago - peaches and cream flavour, with blended peach puree and a crème fraiche ripple. The flavours were sweet, sharp and tangy, a grown up Solero I suppose, yet there’s a reason why that isn’t today’s recipe.

To make a decent ice lolly, I’ve realised texture is as important as flavour, possibly more so. These peach ice cream-ice lollies were patterned with a cross-hatch of ice looking like broken glass, the peach puree a textured icicle. I learnt from this experiment that crème fraiche does not freeze well, and the eating experience is definitively crunchy.

So, instead of trying to be clever, I went for the juiciest fruit just begging to be frozen.

Watermelon ice lollies or pops are an instinctive craving in summer, especially on hot days like this Tuesday. All melons, and cucumber too, are watery and refreshing yet without the blandness of, I don’t know, water, so once the watermelon pulp is blended with sugar syrup, lime juice and nice pinch of salt, the flavour is concentrated, with an almost savoury edge. Forget your Twisters and Fruit Pastille ice lollies, which probably (and also devastatingly) taste cloying sweet to an adult’s palate, watermelon ice lollies can refresh and soothe you of your cooling cravings, without that residual sugary burn.

This is a snack that requires a bib, or maybe a tea towel slung over your lap. But that is just a flashback for me - although I still manage to miss my mouth now, so I can’t even imagine how messy I was as a child. And if you don’t like ice lollies or have sensitive teeth, I totally get you; pour this watermelon elixir into a glass and you’ll find yourself downing it.

Scorchers are always easier with a watermelon ice lolly in hand.

Watermelon and Lime Ice Lollies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Freezing Time: 4-8 hours

Servings: 8-10 lollies

Adapted from Molly Wizenberg and David Lebovitz’s recipes

Ingredients

• 500 ml fresh watermelon juice, ideally fridge-cold - I had about a third of a watermelon in my fridge, cut away the rind, chopped it up, blended then strained it, and it came out as 500ml

• 70 g (⅓ cup) sugar

• Juice of 1 lime - roughly 2 tbsp

• 1-2 tbsp vodka (optional) - I didn’t use any because there was none in the cupboard, but vodka is a flavourless way to prevent ice crystals forming

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

• Firstly, if you haven’t already, chop, blend and strain your watermelon. It’s best if the watermelon was in the fridge first as you want the mixture to be cold before freezing (otherwise it freezes too slowly and is a hotbed for bacteria).

• In a small saucepan, combine 100ml of the watermelon juice with the sugar. Set it over medium-low heat to dissolve the sugar. Once there are no sugar granules left, add the salt and stir it all to combine.

• Stir the syrup back into the remaining watermelon juice, and add the lime juice and vodka (if using). Taste and add more lime or salt to really bring out the flavours.

• Chill the mixture thoroughly then pour it into your lolly moulds. My lolly moulds are fairly small, so I had leftover juice which I very happily drank. Freeze the lollies until solid - around 4 hours or overnight.