fudge pops: IKEA pt. 1

IKEA is a dangerous place.  You step inside and are immediately overcome by emotions such as wonder, envy, and covetousness.  Or, you just stand there, overwhelmed by the enormity of the place.  The danger I refer to, however, is not that of getting lost or confused, but of picking up too many random semi-useful small items.

You see, IKEA is of course primarily known for its furniture - clean lines, modern aesthetics, affordable price points, equally at home in space-saving studios and large houses.  That's one way I know IKEA; I mean, it's pretty much my childhood, because half the furniture in my house is from IKEA.  But I also know IKEA as the place with the best Swedish meatballs, coffee, and $1 breakfasts and a view of the Newark Liberty International Airport (IKEA Elizabeth); the awesome play place that I tried to cheat to get into (they have a height requirement and I may have cried when I passed the height requirement); and one of the most fascinating catalogs (no link because you need to see it in paper form.)  Growing up, I went there periodically with my family, and while I'm sure my parents always had some agenda, I just thought it was the coolest place ever!

I recently went to IKEA Schaumburg on my first alone visit, as a real adult.  Well, I was really tagging along with a friend who needed furniture for her new apartment, so I guess I haven't really grown up yet after all!  And so I encountered IKEA as a dangerous place.

I didn't need furniture so I wandered around admiring the model spaces they have laid out; the 200 sq. ft. apartments and the crazy color-coordinated closets (seriously, even all the clothes in the closets are in the same color scheme . . . )  We got to the kitchen section and I lost it.  The gist of it is that I picked up a bunch of semi-useful items I didn't really need.  Here is numero uno and what I did with it!

Popsicle molds!  So I made fudge pops, naturally.  Fudge pops are just as much a part of my childhood as IKEA is.  That makes sense, right?  Fudge pops + IKEA = my childhood.  My dad is a math instructor so that must be right.

 Here it is in its frozen form.  I guess you can't see through it . . . but there is fudgey goodness in there.  (Yes, that's Piano Adventures in the background . . . yay for multi-tasking!)

To remove it from its encasing, dip it in lukewarm water . . . or run it under the lukewarm tap.  I didn't use hot water because I was afraid it would melt things too quickly.

Voila!  Homemade fudge pops.  The air bubbles just add to the not-store-bought quality, y'know?  You might think 2 oz. is tiny, compared the gargantuan ice cream treats you can get today, but with the real chocolate and everything, these are rich enough that 2 oz. is just right.

fudge pops

makes 6 2-oz. pops

ingredients:

1 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tbsp cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 large egg yolk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

directions:

1. Combine milk, heavy cream, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolk in small saucepan.  Heat over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, whisking constantly.

2. Remove from heat and add vanilla and chocolate.

3. Transfer mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and cool completely.  Put it in an ice bath to speed things up.

4. Once completely cool, fill molds and freeze for at least 4 hours.  They can stay yummy for quite a while - I finished mine in about 8 days.  

Thanks for reading!

cheers,

Serfy

{This is Part 1 of IKEA is a Dangerous Place.}