If your like me, once apon a time long long ago you were given a cutting of peppermint by a friend (I use this term loosely given mints behavior in the garden) you have a forest of the stuff which you have to battle with a machete every season. You just wish that more recipes that use it, Mint does have a some redeming features in the kitchen as a herb, with the obvious lamb, boiled with the first new potatoes and its also fab in cold salads and used to garnish desserts and in pimms. But, it just grows to well and you can't use it all, I also make a fab strawberry and mint ice cream (thats another post) and loads of mint sauce but I just can't keep up with it.
As someone who always makes elderflower cordial every year , I have had an inkling for sometime to make a similar mint version. I spied in the River cottage perserves book, a recipe so I thought I would give it a go with some tweaks. Essentially you macerate fresh young leaves with sugar, salt and lemon juice (this less for its flavour and more to stop your mint going a sludgy brown), this is left overnight and then made into a sugar syrup with boiling water and then strained and bottled.
The resultant syrup can be used to make a refreshing cooling drink with ice and sparkling water (and very nice it is too). You can also use the syrup in your baking or to make desserts and added to teas or sorbets.
Just a pity it doesn't use more mint though .......
Never heard of that before but think it would go down well here as my hubby loves mint. Sounds good...and in cocktails too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea Sue, that would be delicious.
ReplyDeleteOh that sounds lovely...I'm imagining an added combination of lemon & lemon balm...(I've got loads of lemon balm in the garden at the moment!)
ReplyDeleteOh how I wish I'd read this a few days ago. I've had a go at making mint liqueur, but I didn't think about the lemon juice and have a nasty feeling it will have gone a sludgy brown colour :(
ReplyDeleteFABULOUS recipe....JUST great Linzi! I can think of loads of ways I could sue this and thanks SO much for linking up to Herbs on Saturday. I bet this would be good drizzled over chocolate ice cream for an after eight moment!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. I made rhubarb syrup last week and this is next on my list.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for entering this into my summertime sipping challenge. Looks incredibly refreshng and could be dropped into a gin and tonic too i think!
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