Bolis de Jamaica (Mexican Hibiscus Ice Pops) Recipe

When it gets to be that hot and sticky time of yr, there’s nothing at all fairly like bolis―ice pops that can be discovered all in excess of Mexico in a range of flavors. These sweet-tart, jewel-toned bolis de Jamaica (hibiscus) are intensely refreshing, with a fruity, floral taste that is fairly very similar to cranberry. Frozen inside of little plastic bags, they are extremely convenient for consuming on the go.

There are two primary kinds of bolis: bolis de leche (milk bolis) and bolis de agua (drinking water bolis). Flavors of milk bolis may well include things like chocolate milk or vital lime pie, and typically have swirls of nutella or cajeta or even chunks of cookies or common snack cakes, like chocolate-lined Gansitos, mixed in. 

H2o bolis, on the other hand, are inclined to be fruity. Preferred flavors consist of mango (with or without chamoy), lime, pineapple, and nanche, a small golden fruit that seems to be like a cherry but with a additional pungent flavor. My beloved is created with flor de Jamaica (hibiscus flowers). In Mexico, agua de Jamaica, or hibiscus tea, is a common cold drink designed from the dried flowers of the hibiscus plant, which arrived in the Americas with the African diaspora. 

At the peak of summer, even the iciest water boli won’t just take also extensive to soften up and be completely ready to try to eat. On cooler times, on the other hand, several people today either go away them out on the counter for a pair minutes or operate them less than the faucet to make it much easier to begin consuming. For this recipe, I desired to produce a boli that was smoother, fewer icy, and straightforward to take in straight out of the freezer. I made the decision to test introducing hydrocolloids, carbohydrates that are applied to modify the texture of food. For example, guar gum is a hydrocolloid that is normally used as a thickening agent in business ice creams. Other prevalent hydrocolloids consist of starch and gelatin. For my initial exams, I tested two types of widely-accessible starch: cornstarch and tapioca starch.

My check with cornstarch produced a boli with a pudding-like texture. As it thawed, the boli turned a bit gummy and ate like chilly strawberry jam, which was not what I was just after. Even even though the batch with tapioca had a lot more prospective, it nonetheless retained a far too gentle texture. In the conclude, neither test created a apparent winner.

I decided to try granulated sugar, which is a powerful software for altering the texture of both of those baked and frozen goods, thanks to its hygroscopic homes. Other than introducing sweetness, the sugar retains the boli from freezing into a brick because, like salt, introducing sugar to water lowers the freezing place and interferes with the development of challenging ice crystals (like anti-freeze). The resulting boli was appropriately icy and softened rapidly the moment taken off from the freezer, becoming deliciously slushy-like as I ate it.

I nonetheless experienced to nail down the Jamaica taste. To get ready the flor de Jamaica, I examined brewing the flowers in incredibly hot and chilly water. I discovered that hot drinking water introduced out the flower’s powerful tartness (but if cooked way too extended, gave the tea a bitter edge), when chilly extraction highlighted its fragile floral notes. I finished up combining both of those methods to deliver a well balanced concentrated tea by commencing the dried flowers in chilly water, bringing it to a simmer, then allowing it cool. At the time I strain out the flowers, I stir in the sugar, as well as lime juice (if possible vital lime, but the Persian limes that are typical in the US also function properly) and salt, which amplify the flavors. That explained, you also can give your tea an aromatic or fruity twist by infusing it with a variety of spices or even pineapple skins.

It is crucial to mention that the freshness of the flor de Jamaica you get will make a marked big difference in the tea’s flavor. Fantastic-high-quality dried flor de Jamaica should still be a little bit leathery and versatile, not brittle. If the only flor de Jamaica you can get your arms on is aged and dusty-dry, you can still make tasty bolis, but taste the boli combination just before freezing and include additional sugar or lime juice as necessary.  

To freeze the bolis, you will need to have the suitable plastic bags. A brief search for “boli bags” or “ice pop bags” will transform up a quantity of alternatives you can order on the internet, if you just cannot obtain them locally. Mine were being 2 3/4- by 10-inches, which is a common dimensions for boli bags. To get the boli combination into the bag, it’s pleasant to have a helper on hand to maintain the luggage open for you. If no one’s close to, you can area the bag upright in a cup, fold the major back to hold it open, then pour the combination in really bit by bit. The bag will shift and settle as it fills, but as prolonged as you are pouring bit by bit and paying attention, you can readjust the bag as you go. Fill the bag halfway then tie it off, earning absolutely sure to depart a little place in the bag to avert it from bursting as the liquid inside of freezes and expands. Immediately after some apply, you’ll get the hold of it.

Once prepared to consume, cut or chunk off a single of the lessen corners of the bag to make a hole. You may possibly have to chunk via the bag a minimal little bit to get the frozen combination out, but soon, it will soften in your hand. Mushing it close to in the bag as you consume helps soften the boli into a dreamy slushy combine. Just beware of brain freeze and take pleasure in.