picture by michael wissingthis peppermint sirup is a wonderful thing for the pantry, something to sweeten your fruitsalads, spice up your couscous and even an avocado soup or a simple green salad. you could even add a splash of this to champagne or just a glass of water. this humble little recipe was given to me by the lovely tanja grandits. a wonderful cook and such a great girl to be with - she loves pink aprons and laughes very loud - really, she is a bit like me (or i am a bit like her). the recipe was taken from her latest cookbook AROMA.
RECIPE
30 twigs fresh peppermint (try to get maroccan peppermint)
zest of one lemon
1/2 liter hot (boiling) water
500g sugar
1 cinnamon stick
8 allspice grains
1/2 teaspoons of coriander grains
wash the peppermint and pat dry. reserve 3 twigs, pluck the rest and mix in a bowl with the lemon zest. douse with the hot water, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and let rest in the fridge overnight.
the next day, pass the liquid through a sieve , put in a pan with the sugar and bring to a boil, let simmer for about 10 minutes.
put the rest of the ingredients in a preserving bottle and add the hot sirup. close bottle and keep in a cool place.
I bet this is just very delicious on so many things, and I'm enchanted with the idea of Moroccan peppermint. I have no idea what that is!
ReplyDeleteWhere'd you get the itsy-bitsy bottle?
ReplyDeletekalyn, oh its so wonderful how quick you always are and thanks for your wonderful comments. moroccan mint is a very fragrant mint that has tiny leaves - you might find it in special nurseries or asian food stores. "mentha spicata var. crispa" is its botanical name. a wonderful, fragrant plant!
ReplyDeletesilus grok - i love this little animal you got there. looks fun! the itsy bitsy bottle is from our grocery store migros in switzerland. but you might get a similar one at container store or create and barell in the US.
Thanks, on both counts.
ReplyDeleteMy avatar is a shot of a vinyl toy named Wage:
http://tinyurl.com/2vqlyl
Hi Myriam, what a cute blog you have! I found it very recently, and I hope to make this syrup - looks so versatile. The moroccan mint looks quite different from regular, and I am not sure I can find it. Can I use regular mint, and if I do, do I use the same quantity?
ReplyDeletehi evolvingtastes - you can use regular mint, no probs. the maroccan mint is just more fragrant, but you could use any kind of mint for this syrup (you could even use all kinds of herbs.. basil for example or coriander...)
ReplyDeleteI am getting some of those bottles this weekend! I am going to take a stab at making my own vanilla extract. ;-)
ReplyDelete-Michelle
Hi Myriam, I stop here pretty often. I love this recipe. I drink the bottled mint syrup with some soda on a hot day! But this is easy and cool.
ReplyDeleteLove that green colour of your syrup! Don't think I've seen moroccan mint before either. I have 'chocolate mint' growing on my balcony. It's called that because it's leaves taste just like an After Dinner Mint!
ReplyDeleteThat just looks divine. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete