When I was in grade school in Southern California, living at Grandma's little white cottage on Orange Street with the shaded porch and bench-style porch swing, there were two kinds of ice cream trucks that would pass in front of the house in the summer months.
There was the big white truck plastered with colorful pictures of Popsicles and ice cream bars and candy, playing loud carnival music that would stay in your head for the remainder of the day. I'd watch as the neighborhood would come running, mostly barefoot. There would be a giddy commotion rising over the blaring music, and children all around would have their tongues stained red and orange by Big Stick pops in no time.
By contrast, the second wasn't an ice cream truck at all, but a small, white, unmarked freezer cart on wheels, pushed on foot by a man ringing a pleasant little bell. Ding ding. Ding ding. I would approach the cart and the man would open the lid for me to select one of his Mexican paletas -- ice pops made of real fruit and simply wrapped in clear plastic without branding or words. There were only a handful to choose from. I remember the red strawberry one with strawberry seeds in every bite, bright yellow pineapple with actual chunks of fruit inside, the fragrant banana pop made with the ripest bananas, and my favorite one of all, the creamy white coconut one loaded with real coconut.
I'd make my selection, pay the man, and go running back to swing on the swing with coconut milk dripping down my arm as I ate, as the sound of the bell grew quieter and quieter in the distance before it disappeared.
Toasted coconut frozen pops
Yields 6 pops
1 can coconut milk
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
3-4 tablespoons sugar, to taste
1/3 cup toasted coconut
To make pops:
Freezer pop mold for 6 pop sticks
1. To a small saucepan over medium heat, add the coconut milk, sugar to taste, vanilla bean pod and seeds. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Remove from heat and cover, allowing to steep for an hour. Remove the vanilla bean pod. Stir in the toasted coconut. Pour the mixture evenly into the popsicle mold, making six freezer pops. Insert sticks. Freeze until firm, 4-6 hours. Unmold and enjoy. Adapted from A Sweet Spoonful, originally from Leite's Culinaria. Note: The cutting board pictured is hand-crafted from local Alaska birch, made by Gold Heart Supply in Fairbanks.