10 things to make with fresh mint

By CATHY THOMAS MCT News Service

July 23, 2007 Last Updated: July 23, 2007 02:32 PM Recipes

Pineapple mint, with apple-green leaves edged in creamy white, makes a spectacular garnish and a knockout in the garden.

SANTA ANA, Calif. — The sunshiny pizzazz of fresh mint is turning up in more and more dishes on restaurant menus and in recipes found in cookbooks and food magazines.

There's leafy-green mint in pesto and potato salads. Mint in fruit salsas, dressings and sauces. Mint in chocolate confections and atop sliced fruit.

I think a cocktail called a mojito is fueling the fresh-mint trend. The Cuban libation teams oodles of fresh mint with rum, sugar and lime juice. Over the past few years, it has become a must-have concoction in watering holes from coast to coast.

"Mojitos are extremely, extremely popular," said Nicole Aloni, author of "The Backyard Bartender: 55 Cool Summer Cocktails" (Clarkson Potter, $16.95). "When you see a major company like Bacardi making auxiliary products like mojito kits and muddlers (devices for crushing mint and sugar into a paste), you know it's a commodity. And now more and more variations are being made. It's the only cocktail that can be placed in the same category popularity-wise as the margarita.

You can probably order a mojito in Des Moines. You can get one off the menu at chain eateries, the benchmark for proving that they aren't the least bit unusual anymore."

I contend that mint's spunky taste plays a starring role in reeling drinkers in. That signature flavor makes folks eager to spread their culinary wings and give mint a try in other dishes.

"I think they love the freshness," Aloni said, agreeing with my theory, adding that consumers feel as if they are eating fresh food when mint is included, whether it's in a cocktail or something else.

Yes, the perky taste is clean and cool — a perfect flavor profile to add to warm-weather treats.

Here are 10 summery, easy-to-make dishes that showcase fresh mint, including Aloni's practical formula for making mojitos for a crowd. Either spearmint or peppermint can be used in these recipes:• 1. Pitcher mojitos for eight — First make some lime-mint ice cubes; pour fresh lime juice into an ice cube tray and add a mint leaf to each cube, then freeze. Chill pitcher.Combine 1 bunch fresh mint (about 40 leaves) and ½ cup sugar in 4-cup bowl. Use muddler, pestle or sturdy wooden spoon to vigorously crush into paste.Stir in ½ cup lime juice and 1½ to 2 cups light rum. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to several hours.Strain mixture into chilled pitcher. Add lime-mint ice cubes and an extra handful of fresh mint. Stir. To serve each drink, pour about ⅓ cup of mixture into a glass filled with crushed ice.Top with soda water and stir. Garnish with mint sprig and lime wedge.(Recipe adapted from "The Backyard Bartender" by Aloni (Clarkson Potter, $16.95).Because I try to cut down on sugar in drinks, I sometimes use half the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. Then I sweeten the mojitos to taste with "sugar syrup" made with half water and half Splenda that has been simmered 2 minutes and then chilled.• 2. Beet salad with perky mint vinaigrette — Roast about 1 pound fresh beets, then peel and cool them; or for a shortcut, buy steamed and peeled beets packaged in plastic (sold refrigerated at Trader Joe's and some supermarkets). Cut beets into ¼-inch thick slices.For vinaigrette, combine 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons grated orange zest, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint. Whisk in ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.Drizzle over sliced beets; garnish with sprigs of fresh mint. If desired, sprinkle on some crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese.• 3. Sliced melon with mint-scented syrup — In bowl, whisk ¼ cup chopped fresh mint with ¼ cup fresh lime juice and 3 tablespoons honey. Peel and seed a ripe, 3-pound cantaloupe or honeydew melon (or use pre-cut melon from produce section); place on serving platter. Spoon syrup over melon.Can be made 4 hours ahead; covered and refrigerated. Garnish with whole strawberries or seedless grapes, and sprigs of fresh mint.• 4. Easy chocolate cake with mint-driven whipped-cream frosting — This is so simple to make and so delicious. Prepare a cake-mix chocolate layer cake (doctored up with by adding sour cream to make it rich) and top with a mint-y whipped cream. Garnish with fresh berries tossed with slivers of fresh mint and a little orange liqueur or raspberry liqueur.• 5. Summer rice salad with attitude — This versatile salad teams beautifully with grilled fish, chicken or pork. The cooled rice is tossed with a citrus-y dressing, then topped with cucumber slices, tomato wedges, chopped fresh mint and crumbled feta cheese.• 6. Smoked chicken or turkey appetizers a la mint — Cut 1½ pounds boneless smoked chicken or smoked turkey into ¾-inch chunks.In bowl, whisk 2½ teaspoons white wine vinegar with ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; season to taste with salt and pepper.Toss chicken or turkey with vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.Cut two ripe mangoes by slicing just to sides of each pit; with a ¾-inch melon-ball cutter scoop flesh from mango halves or for an easier approach, cut mango into ¾-inch cubes.To assemble, thread 1 chicken piece, 1 mint leaf and 1 mango sphere (or cube) on wooden pick. Repeat to make about 48 appetizers. Arrange on platter and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.(Recipe adapted from Gourmet magazine).• 7. Minted potato salad — Most often potatoes are teamed with basil or parsley in salads; mint gives this potato salad a welcome palate surprise.In bowl, combine ½ medium red onion (chopped), 1 red bell pepper (cored, seeded, cut into matchsticks), 1 clove garlic (minced), ¼ cup balsamic vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.Place 2 pounds fingerling potatoes (cut into ½-inch slices) in pot and cover with cold water. Add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool until steam stops rising.To onion mixture, add ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, and ½ cup coarsely-chopped pitted Kalamata olives; toss mixture, adding freshly-ground black pepper to taste. Add potatoes and gently toss.Serve warm or cool. (Recipe adapted from "The Herbfarm Cookbook" by Jerry Traunfeld, Scribner, $40).• 8. Sugar snaps with class — Snap stems from 8 ounces of sugar snap peas, pulling stems down the length of the pea to remove any strings.Bring pot of water to boil on high heat. Add pinch of salt to water along with sugar snaps; cook until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and refresh with cold water. Toss with 1 tablespoon butter or extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced fresh mint and 1 teaspoon minced fresh Italian parsley. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.• 9. Hot-weather mint ice tea — To make this refreshing drink to serve at picnics and backyard gatherings, combine 2 cups boiling water, 12 standard-size tea bags and ¼ cup fresh mint leaves; cover and steep 30 minutes off heat. Add juice of 2 lemons and 1 (6-ounce) can undiluted frozen orange juice; stir to combine. Taste and add sugar if desired. Add enough water to make 2 quarts. Serve in tall glasses over ice; garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.• 10. Mint sugar meets peach gratin — It's very easy to make mint-scented sugar to use in desserts and drinks. Place a sprig or two of clean-but-dry fresh mint in a jar and fill with sugar. Seal jar and place in a cool location for a week or two. Strain sugar and voila, mint sugar. Or, for a no-wait approach, combine chopped mint with sugar and use it as a topping for a fresh-fruit pie or gratin.Food writer Georgeanne Brennan uses the latter approach in her peach gratin. She tops peach halves with a custard-like batter (just enough to surround fruit), then sprinkles on a mint-sugar-nut mixture and bakes it until peaches are tender and a crust has formed on the custard mixture. Serve it with vanilla ice cream.

1 package (18.25 ounces) devil's food cake mix with pudding1 cup sour cream¾ cup water½ cup vegetable oil3 large eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extractFrosting:2½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream⅓ cup powdered sugar½ teaspoon peppermint extract; see cook's notesGarnish for serving: 2 cups mixed fresh berries tossed with 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint and 1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, or raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord.Cook's notes: Be cautious when measuring peppermint extract. Too much will make the frosting taste medicinal.Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 9-inch cake pans with butter or solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Set aside.Place cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop machine and scrap down sides of bowl. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Divide batter between two pans. Bake 28 to 32 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed with a finger. Cool 10 minutes in pans set on wire racks. Run dinner knife around edge of cake and invert onto cooling rack. Cool.Prepare frosting: In large bowl combine whipping cream, powdered sugar and extract. Using electric mixer, beat until stiff peaks form.Place one cake layer right side up on serving platter. Spread top with frosting. Add second layer, right side up, and frost top and sides of cake.Place cake in cake saver or cover with dome; refrigerate. Serve with berry mixture on the side.Yield: 16 servingsNutritional information (per serving): calories 467 (72 percent from fat), protein 12 g, carbohydrates 20.9 g, fat 37.3 g (saturated 12.1 g), cholesterol 95 mg, sodium 367 mg, fiber 1.2 gSource: Cake recipe (not the frosting or berry garnish) is from "Chocolate From The Cake Mix Doctor" by Anne Byrn (Workman, $14.95)

4 cups water2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice1½ teaspoons salt½ cup fresh orange juice½ cup extra-virgin olive oil¼ cup fresh lemon juice4 teaspoons grated orange zest (colored portion of peel)2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (colored portion of peel)½ teaspoon ground cinnamon30 cherry tomatoes, halved4 baby or Persian cucumbers, sliced½ cup trimmed and sliced green onions (include dark green stalks), ordiced sweet onion½ cup chopped fresh mint16 ounces crumbled feta cheeseBring 4 cups water to boil on high heat in large saucepan. Add rice and salt, bring to boil; reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove lid and cook rice on lowest heat until completely dry, 2 to 3 minutes. Place rice in large bowl; cool to room temperature.In bowl, whisk together orange juice, olive oil, lemon juice, orange zest, lemon zest and cinnamon.Add tomatoes, cucumber slices, onion, mint and feta to rice. Add dressing and toss. Cover and refrigerate. Can be made 8 hours in advance.Bring to room temperature and toss before serving.Yield: 10 servingsNutritional information (per serving): calories 255 (58 percent from fat), protein 6 g, carbohydrates 31.8 g, fat 11.1 g (saturated 3.8 g), cholesterol 30 mg, sodium 593 mg, fiber 2.8 gSource: adapted from Bon Appetit magazine.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter for greasing pan2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup sugar; divided use4 ripe peaches, peeled, halved, pitted1 egg¼ cup milk¼ cup all-purpose flour1/8 teaspoon salt¼ cup slivered almonds, chopped1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint; divided useOptional for serving: ice cream or creme fraicheOptional garnish: sprigs of fresh mintPreheat oven to 425 degrees. Heavily grease a 9-inch pie pan with butter. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar evenly over bottom of prepared pie pan. Place halved peaches cut-side down in dish.In bowl, combine egg, milk, flour and salt. Mix well with a fork. Pour batter evenly over peaches. In small bowl, stir ¼ cup sugar, almonds and half of mint; sprinkle over mixture.Bake until crust forms and peaches are tender and baked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining mint. Serve warm or hot. If desired, serve with ice cream or creme fraiche. If desired, garnish servings with sprigs of fresh mint.Yield: 6 to 8 servingsNutritional information (per serving without ice cream): calories 325 (51 percent from fat), protein 10.1 g, carbohydrates 30.3 g, fat 19.5 g (saturated 7.9 g), cholesterol 65 mg, sodium 748 mg, fiber 1.4 g

There are so many varieties of mint that, according to herb expert Leslie Bremness in her book “The Complete Book of Herbs,” a monk writing in the ninth century said he’d rather count the sparks of Vulcan’s furnace.So let’s simplify things. In most recipes I use spearmint (the variety sold in most supermarkets) and/or peppermint. But I can’t resist growing other varieties to use as aromatic garnishes. Gardening books often advise readers to plant mint around roses to help deter aphids. I’m not sure about their pest-preventing properties, but it sure looks beautiful.Most books advise planting in pots to restrain mint’s invasive roots.The ancient Greeks added generous amounts of fresh mint leaves to their bath water. Nice.Here’s a sample of mint varieties that I found at local nurseries:• Spearmint: The most widely grown mint variety, it has a milder flavor than peppermint. The leaves have serrated edges. In summer it has purple flowers.• Peppermint: There are several peppermint varieties. Most have long, pointed leaves with serrated edges. These mints have the greatest percentage of menthol.• Apple mint: Slight apple scent and aroma, with a somewhat bitter aftertaste.• Curly mint: Frilly-edged leaves make this a very attractive garnish. Flavor is mild and somewhat vegetal, a taste that is a blend of mint and parsley.• Pineapple mint: Apple-green leaves edged with creamy white make this mint a spectacular garnish and a knockout in the garden. It has a subtle tropical fruit scent.• Chocolate mint: It has dark chocolate-colored stems and a chocolate scent.