Happy New Year to all of my readers. TIFFIN is on the move very soon so make sure you have subscribed via email so I can take you with me to my new location. If you are in the TIFFIN Fan Club via Google, please also subscribe so I don’t lose you! Meanwhile….
In the US they are known as popsicles and the delightfully old fashioned ‘iced lolly’, in the UK. Ice blocks are the quintessential Australian childhood summer treat and as adults we still think back to those long, lazy days when endless hours in the swimming pool and ice blocks from the freezer made it the best summer ever.
Of course, as grown ups we can enjoy new flavour combinations and unusual ingredients in our quest to revisit those golden summers of our youth. Today…’Seussicals’
After the success of my Madras ice blocks, Red Belly Citrus contacted me to ask if they could use the recipe to promote blood oranges. Of course! As a thank you gift, they sent on a whole case of blood oranges. That’s a lot of oranges. Many were eaten and juiced into drinks and ice cubes. Some were gifted and yet others were made into recipes such as Delicious Everyday’s Blood Orange-Cello. I was also keen to create another ice block using blood oranges and came up with Seussicals.
Seussicals are so named because they are reminiscent of the stripes on the hat worn by the cat in Dr Seuss’s ‘Cat in the Hat’. Though Dr Seuss was never big in our house, the striped hat is enmeshed in popular culture and is recognisable anywhere. It is now the logo for Dr Seuss. The scarlet orange juice is prefect for the red stripe and no food colouring is necessary.
These ice blocks do take some time as you need to freeze each layer before adding the next but the layers are thin and freezing time is not too long for each. Many of my ice block recipe use the same ginger mint syrup recipe so why not make up a big batch and store it in a bottle in the fridge? A great holiday project to do with kids and something the whole family can enjoy.
- 1 cup blood orange juice (1)
- 1/2 cup sugar (0.5)
- 1/2 cup water (0.5)
- 1 cup coconut cream (1)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (0.5) or 1/4 cup coconut water (0.25)
- 3/4 cup ginger mint syrup (recipe here) (0.75)
- 1/2 cup water (0.5)
Method
- Combine blood orange juice, sugar and water in a saucepan.
- Heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 -3 minutes.
- Take off the heat and set aside to cool
- When cool put one tablespoon into bottom of ice block moulds and allow to freeze for a minimum of one hour. The ‘top’ of the hat has a wider band of red than the thinner bands that follow.
- Combine coconut cream, coconut milk (or water) and syrup.
- Top up ice block moulds with two teaspoons of coconut mixture and allow to freeze for approximately 45 minutes
- Alternate two teaspoons of blood orange and coconut mixture, freezing in between.
– if you don’t have ice block moulds, you can make these in small plastic cups instead
– ice block sticks can be bought in the craft section of hardware stores such as Bunnings for a few dollars
Very cool! Happy New Year.
First comment of the year! Thanks for visitinng and being a dedicated reader. Happy New Year to you too Shannan.
Well done! I loved The Cat in the Hat! Love your Seussicals. Very cool indeed.
Thanks Liz – I had a few spare so just wizzed one up with some watermelon & ginger for a refreshing lunch time drink. Versatile!
You are very clever! Truly!
Awesome!
Why thanks! I aim to please.
How cool are these?! They look fantastic. Also, a big thank you for your lovely comment on my blog – you made my day. 🙂
Your welcome Mary. Mr Tiffin and I had these last night whilst watching the cricket. Couldn't get much more 'Aussie Summer' than that!
They look very 'cat-in-the-hat' indeed.
Thanks. The second batch I made were even striper but didn't make it into the pictures.
These look fab. Can's wait for blood oranges to hit the shopes over here so I can try them out (if we ever get a summer after all this rain).
We reaally are at different ends of the world aren't we? Cranberry juice is another option.
Pinned! these look amazing – so vibrant and v Cat in the Hat 🙂 Just need to snap up some of that amazing juice so I can make them.
Thanks! If you can’t get blood oranges (short season), there’s always cranberry juice. Very tangy… That will make the little ones squint : )