Traffic Light popsicles

I think just about every kiwi kid of the 80’s had at least one meal at the infamous Cobb & Co. Our local one was on the North Shore, attached to the Poenamo Hotel, which was quite ritzy back in the day. The kids meals came in cardboard vehicles, I think there was a wagon and I’m pretty sure the hot dog came in a fire engine. There were Cobb Crunchies which were little rings of deep fried potatoes and fantastic kids drinks, like the Traffic Light. (Side note – you can actually buy Cobb Crunchies to make at home. They’re called Taties and apparently you can find them at the Binn Inn. Mind blown.)

The Traffic Light was the coolest drink in town. Syrupy cordial in red, orange and green, no doubt full of E numbers, was poured into a tall glass and garnished with some kind of plastic animal hanging off the rim. If you stirred it you ended up with a really unappetising brown drink which your parents made you finish. These, however, take the Traffic Light to a whole new level thanks to being chock full of seasonal fruit.

These popsicles kill two birds with one stone. They’re icey for starters, so perfect for hot days, and they’re full of fruit and nothing else. They’re a bit time consuming because each layer has to freeze separately, and you have to remember to insert the popsicle stick before the mixture freezes too hard. I used these moulds but you could also use plastic or paper cups.

I used my Nutribullet for all of the fruit except the kiwifruit. It did such a good job of blending so the seeds turned it into brown mush. So to keep the green layer, I gave the kiwifruit a quick whiz in the blender before pressing the puree through a sieve.

Ingredients 

2c diced watermelon (I didn’t remove the seeds but you can if you prefer)
250g strawberries (1 punnet)
2 mangos, peeled and diced
2c diced pineapple (you can use tinned but make sure you drain it well)
5 kiwifruit, peeled and diced (you can swap this out for honeydew melon)

10 popsicle sticks

Method

Have your moulds ready to go. If you’re using cups, place them on a tray that will fit in your freezer.
In your blender/food processor/Nutribullet, whiz together the watermelon and strawberries until smooth. Pour into the moulds, filling them to 1/3. Freeze for 45-60 minutes.
Rinse out your blender and whiz the mango and 1c of the pineapple until smooth. Pour into the moulds, filling them up another 1/3. Pop them back into the freezer for another 45-ish minutes. After 30 minutes, insert the popsicle stick and return to the freezer. 
Briefly pulse the kiwifruit in the blender, then tip the puree into a sieve set over a bowl. Press the puree through the sieve until only the seeds remain. Blend the remaining cup of pineapple until smooth, then add this to the kiwifruit and mix together. (If you’re using honeydew melon, just blend this with the pineapple.) Pour into the moulds, around the popsicle stick. Return to the freezer for 2 hours.
Remove from the freezer and run each mould under hot water for about 20 seconds, turning it around so each side loosens and you can remove it from the mould.

Store in the freezer (duh) between sheets of baking paper, otherwise they will dry out. A large ziplock bag also works well.

Notes

• if each layer isn’t completely frozen, the other layers will bleed slightly, so if you want crisper layers, make sure you freeze them for a good hour.
• for the green layer, you can also combine the kiwifruit and honeydew melon. Blitz and strain the kiwifruit then mix it with the pureed melon.

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