Guava and Arroz con Leche Paletas

Days after I posted my recipe for Mango Paletas, I fell in love with a new flavor, Guayaba (Guava), and proclaimed it my favorite, well...for now I guess. I never can seem to decide. Guava paletas are everything you love about the fruit- the floral, tropical flavor combined with rich sweet cream, with none of the seeds or gritty texture. Giddy with my new found flavor-love, I promptly sought out another. But I couldn’t locate one anywhere, and I haven’t been able to find any since. I was pretty bummed until I whipped these up, sweet victory.

Guava Paletas
(printable recipe)

1 c heavy cream
1/2 c milk
1 lb. guavas
1/2 - 3/4 c sugar

Remove the blossom ends from the guavas and give them a good rinse. Puree in a food processor then run the fruit through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds and skin. This should yield about 1 c of pulp.
Whisk the heavy cream, milk, fruit pulp and sugar together thoroughly. Start with a 1/2 c of sugar then add a bit more if needed. Pour into molds and freeze until set. Unmold by running under water briefly then gently sliding the paletas out.
If you have any of the mixture left pour the rest off into your ice cream maker (and follow manufacturer instructions for ice cream) or into a shallow dish. Freeze and stir every hour to break up the ice crystals.


And heck, while we’re at it lets make some paletas de arroz con leche too. I had some leftover rice and cream so why not? Rice paletas are a nice treat, they remind me of my dad’s atole, full of spicy cinnamon and warm, sweet milk...so good. I’ll share that recipe once it gets a bit cooler around these parts. For now, have a popsicle. Summer's not over yet.

Arroz con Leche Paletas
(printable recipe)

1 c heavy cream
1/2 c milk
1/2 c sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon (plus additional for each mold)
3/4 c cooked rice

Combine all over a low heat, taste for sweetness and add sugar as necessary. Pour off into molds giving each an equal amount of rice. Put a dash of cinnamon on each mold and insert sticks. Freeze until set. Unmold by running under water briefly then gently sliding the paletas out.