Mango Jalapeno Coconut Popsicles

Makes about 7- 3 fl oz popsicles 1 lb of mango chunks (frozen or fresh or canned is fine, but make sure it's a sweet mango) ½ cup of water ½ cup of sugar 2 -3 jalapeno peppers or 1 serrano pepper (about 4 inches long) ½ tsp salt 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice 1 cup of coconut milk

METHOD If using frozen mango, make sure to thaw it out before use.

Halve the jalapenos and then slice them fairy thick, and place them in a small saucepan. Add the water and sugar and heat over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Let this mix come to a boil, and lower the heat to simmer for a few minutes until you have a simple syrup. Drain the pepper slices (save them, do not throw them away) and transfer the syrup to another container.

Pour the one cup of coconut milk into the same saucepan and heat, to bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and add enough of the sugar syrup to sweeten it to your liking. Turn the heat off and let it come to room temperature.

In a blender, place the mango, lime (or lemon) juice, and salt. Process until you have a smooth mix. Add the candied pepper slice and process just enough to roughly chop the slices - you want to have little bits of jalapeno peppers still visible.

Pour the mango puree into a jug and add enough of the sugar syrup to sweeten. Mix well and set aside.

To make the popsicles - with a table spoon, add 1 - 1½ tbsp of the sweetened coconut milk (depending on your popsicle mold, and personal preference you can add more or less). Place the molds in the freezer and let them partially set (about 30-45 minutes). Next pour the mango puree - about double the amount of the sweetened coconut milk. To create the swirl effect, use a skewer and create the swirl pattern gently without mixing the two layers too much.

Repeat the process one more time, ending with a layer of mango puree on top, and insert the popsicle base. Freeze overnight.

NOTES

Note - You can substitute the jalapenos with other types of green pepper if you like. Serrano peppers can also be used. If you feel a little more adventurous, you can add some raw jalapeno pepper into the blender along with the mango to ratchet up the heat. However, add only a little at a time, and make sure it blends and mixes properly with the mango.

Raw jalapeno perhaps isn't the best thing to chew on - but candied jalapeno, is a different story! Tastes amazing on its own!

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