YELLOW WATERMELON & MINT POPS

Steps:

• 1. Combine the sugar and 3/4 cup (180 ml) water in a medium saucepan. Bring them to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer until the syrup is lightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the mint sprigs, and let the pan stand, uncovered, until the syrup is completely cooled. Drain the syrup in a wire sieve over a bowl, squeezing the mint between your fingertips to extract the very last drops; discard the mint.
• 2. Purée the watermelon in a food processor or blender. (If you wish, leave some of the watermelon in tiny chunks that are small enough to fit into the mold.) Pour the purée into a bowl. Stir in enough of the mint syrup to make a very sweet mixture (see Tips). Stir in the sliced mint. Divide the purée evenly among the eight ice pop molds, leaving a little clearance at the top of each mold to allow for expansion. Cover the molds with the lids (adding wooden sticks, if needed).
• 3. Freeze the pops until they are solid, at least 4 hours. (The pops can be frozen for up to 1 week.) To serve, run the bottom of the molds briefly under lukewarm water and unmold.