Sunday, October 22, 2006

Weekend Herb Blogging #55

Pat from the wonderfully named Up a Creek without a PatL is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging.

This week I've decided to use a very common herb - Mint.

mint

Of the many varieties of mint, the one pictured is the Crinkly-leaf Spearmint which has that typical, heady mint scent. It's most commonly used in mint sauce, mint jelly and mint julep. It's also often matched to fresh green peas.

Mint is said to aid in digestion so I thought I'd utilise this property in the recipe. More suited for the ever-approaching summer, the refreshing tang of this mint sorbet will be sure to please on those warm evenings.

sorbet

Mint Sorbet
(Serves 4)

½ cup water
1 cup caster sugar
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, shredded

Place the water and caster sugar in a saucepan and gently heat until sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes before adding lemon juice and shredded mint leaves.

Stir to amalgamate and then remove from heat. Let this sit for 5 minutes before pouring into a shallow plastic container and place in the freezer.

After 4 hours, remove from freezer and run a fork through the icy mixture. Cover and return to the freezer.

Let this sit overnight and then it's ready to use.

When you want to serve, scrape the mixture into a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Spoon out into glasses and serve immediately.

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12 comments

  1. This is the type of mint I have in my garden, which surprisingly is still thriving even though (sob) the garden is covered with frost each morning now. The sorbet sounds fabulous.

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  2. What a wonderful idea! I have no idea how sweet this would be (on top of refreshing), but it sounds like it'd be a wonderful palate cleanser after a particularly rich meal :)

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  3. Your mint sorbet looks refreshing, indeed! I bought mint twice this month, so far. Last week and this week. I like the taste, of course, but I've discovered that when I use too much, it spoils the taste of my recipe. I have to remember not to use too much.

    Paz

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  4. Thanks for your WHB entry, Haalo, and your photos are beautiful!

    Funny, the letters I had to type for word verification to leave this comment were "sownwild". Sounds like a good word for mint!

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  5. We must be on the same wavelength - I did a mont entry this week too, though 2 very different uses!

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  6. Thanks Kalyn - I didn't realise it got so cold this early, mint is one of those plants that is virtually impossible to kill

    Thanks Ellie - the lemon juice cuts through the sweetness and gives it a tangy edge.

    Hi Paz - so true, mint can be overpowering, it's best to err on the side of caution when using it

    Thanks Pat - that's a most appropriate word for mint, it does grow like crazy.

    Ange - just love the combination of flavours, eggplant, mint, chilli and fetta, just perfect!

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  7. I'm sure your sorbet is better than the industrial ones with artificial flavorings. And with sugar cane, it should be so great.

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  8. Thanks Virginie - it's so easy to make there's no need for the commercial ones.

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  9. Hi from New Zealand

    Have any of you foodies thought of incorporating a bit of alcohol in your sorbet to stop it freezing solid? White rum would probably be a very good match for mint.

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  10. Hi Lorna
    You can add alcohol if you like but you'll find that even without it - because you've used a sugar syrup, it doesn't actually set solid in the freezer - it's more like a firm slush.
    If I had to add some alcohol it would be Creme de Menthe to give the sorbet a green tinge.

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  11. I made a mojito sorbet this summer for a bbq. The rum was added while the sorbet was served. Otherwise, the sorbet would have come out too mushy. I also used limes instead of lemon.

    I remember my first experiment with ice cream and alcohol -- a bourbon ice cream from the Chez Panisse dessert book. I wanted to add more bourbon than the recipe asked for, but the mixture had a hard time freezing! I will stick to the recipe next time.

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  12. Hi Anon - it's probably a good idea to follow recipes when you're doing new things. When dealing with frozen things they really do tend to intensify the flavour of the spirit so you need a much smaller amount then you might have thought.

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