This is becoming a weekly thread: what to do with [WHATEVER IS IN MY ORGANIC BOX THIS WEEK].I hope y’all don’t mind.
So, I get a box of organic goodies every week. It’s lovely, though I don’t get to pick what is in the box, as the contents are whatever is locally available. It’s a nice deal!
Anywho, this week, I got a big, fat bunch of chocolate mint. I’m not the world’s biggest mint fan, though I’m willing to give this a shot. But, due to my general mint aversion, I don’t know a damn thing to do with this stuff. Help!
For what it’s worth, I also got a huge bunch of red and white cherries, some stone fruit (I don’t really know what they are. . . sorry! It just says “stone fruit” and I’m not very hip to much beyond “peach” and “plum”. They sort of look like the top row, third from the left. Whatever those are.).
Recipes, ideas, please! If we can mix the cherries and the mint, that’s great. Separate is fine, too!
PS: I made some delicious roasted baby artichokes after my last “help me” thread! Thank you!
The fruit look like apricots to me; my wife is a huge fan of apricots and will eat them in just about anything. Consider cooking them with chicken.
Fresh mint isn’t easy to use, IMO. You can make tabouleh, or mint juleps, or mojitos, or you can try making mint jelly or mint sauce for lamb if you’re feeling up to it.
Make a “grasshopper pie” Should be able to find a few recipes online. I’m guessing you could incorporate some of the mint in the crust or perhaps a whipped topping. Or maybe in the pie itself.
Melt some chocolate mint pieces of candy and line the pie crust with it. Top with a wedge of chocolate mint candy and a couple of mint leaves.
I’d make mint tea. That is, I’d boil water or scald milk and let the mint leaves steep in them, without tea leaves. I’d also probably try to dry some of the mint for future use.
I made a lovely batch of chocolate mint cordial a few years ago. Take a bunch of leaves & cover the bottom of a large jar or other container that can be sealed. Sprinkle a layer of sugar over those. Repeat this for 2-3 layers depending on the quantity of leaves you have. Then cover the whole thing with 750 mL of vodka (good, but not expensive quality). Then leave it sit for AT LEAST 30 days, shaking once a week or so. After that time, strain the liquid through (in order) a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, and coffee filter (if necessary). You can then add 2:1 sugar syrup (if needed) and bottle.
It’s lovely stuff, particularly in hot chocolate. When I get home tonight I’ll look for my “official” recipe. This was from memory.
My wife made mint ice cream last year from fresh peppermint leaves. It tasted very. . . vegetable. I didn’t much like it; I think it’s much better when made from mint extract.
My brother used to love spearmint tea with a big spoonful of sugar. One night I asked for a taste, nearly spat it out, and blurted, “Yuck! That tastes like hot Scope!” That was the last time he ever drank it, and I don’t think he’s forgiven me.
But IMO, it’s absolutely delicious in iced tea. Make regular iced tea, but steep a wad of mint leaves in the tea as it cools, then strain. Drink unsweetened to avoid the mouthwash connotations, and you have a wonderfully refreshing drink.
Mint also goes really well with cucumbers. I make mint cream cheese by stirring chopped mint into a tub of whipped cream cheese, then I use it as a spread for cucumber sandwiches.
I think it would go really well with honeydew too – maybe toss some into a fruit salad.
My memory was a little hazy on the cordial process. Here’s the original:
The mint leaves were cleaned and placed in a container in layers, alternating a layer of leaves with a sprinkled handful of sugar. Once all the leaves had been put in the container, vodka (approx. 3 cups) was poured over the leaves and sugar. This was then placed in a dark cabinet to infuse over a period of 2 months. It was shaken and checked every other day or so. After the infusion period, the liquid was strained out of the leaves using cheesecloth. Sugar syrup was added (in a 2:1 sugar to water ratio) and the resulting mixture was bottled. The cordial then sat for approximately another month before drinking.
Personally, I’d use the mint to make a flavored syrup, split and roast (or grill) the fruit, buy a little good-quality vanilla ice cream, and serve them together. One of my very favorite summer desserts, though I’m more prone to using pineapple than the various stone fruits.
Chocolate mint also makes a killer tea when mixed with lemon balm.
Why not plant it in your garden and practice using your machete every few weeks? I had a bit of that in my garden last year. Now it pops up everywhere.
