Paletas recipe questions

[GRoston]

All,

We recently purchased a popsicle mold so that we can treat ourselves to 'healthy' confections. For the first batch, we combined 10 oz of raspberries, 10 oz of blackberries, and one half-cup sugar. Since the berries were frozen (from last season), we mixed the first three ingredients and let the berries thaw for several hours. We then blended everything together, added 2 tbsp of lemon juice, and froze them.

The end result was quite yummy!

Yesterday, we borrowed Paletas, by Fany Gerson, from our local library. I read her recipes for fruit paletas and noticed two major differences:

• Her recipes include a small amount of water
  
• For the strawberry paletas, her recipe recommends cooking the mixture for five minutes
  

Could someone please explain how these differences might improve the quality of the final product?

Thank you!

[Panaderia Canadiense]

For strawberry, the cooking releases water and improves flavour, resulting in a smoother-textured final product.

[Lisa Shock]

Cooking helps avoid some foodborne illness. Some berries have been the source of e. coli infections in recent years.

Cooking also inverts some of the sugar, giving a better mouthfeel.