Florence: Matcha-Dark Chocolate Covered Kiwi Pops

While in Italy, we ate a lotttt of gelato (hey this stuff was more ubiquitous than bottled water over there!). Every gelateria had the usual flavors (pistachio hazelnut, stracciatella…), but now and then we’d come across some more unique flavors and kiwi was one of them. However with no ice cream maker on hand, I wasn’t exactly jumping to make my own gelato anytime soon. But having discovered the mystique of frozen grapes last fall, I decided to give frozen kiwis a whirl with these Matcha-Dark Chocolate Covered Kiwi Pops! I gotta admit, I was a little skeptical that they’d freeze and become hard as hockey pucks, but I was never more happy to be wrong! In fact, the kiwi flesh even seemed to have softened a bit in the freezer! The result was an enriched kiwi tang concentrated in a velvety cloak of dark and matcha-white chocolate.

Matcha-Dark Chocolate

Covered Kiwi Pops

Makes 4 pops

Ingredients:

1 kiwi
4 oz dark chocolate
1 tbsp shortening
0.5 oz white chocolate
A pinch of matcha powder
4 popsicle sticks
Parchment paper

Directions:

Using a paring knife, peel the kiwi, cut off the ends, and cut cross sectionally into 4 pieces.
Make a small slit on the side of each kiwi round. Insert a popsicle stick halfway through and place on a plate lined with parchment paper. Freeze until solid (~30 min).
Melt chocolate and shortening over a double boiler and stir until smooth. Take off the heat.
Spoon the melted chocolate over each frozen kiwi pop. The chocolate will start to harden within seconds. Then place back on your parchment lined plate. Put back in the freezer as you prepare the white chocolate.
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave at 10 second intervals. Mix in enough matcha powder so you get a nice green color.
Remove kiwi pops from the freezer. Spoon matcha-white chocolate mixture onto the center of each round and spread with the back of the spoon.
Sprinkle black sesame seeds in an oval ring and gently pat down any that don’t land flatly.