Last day of mint.

Coming to an end of my minty marathon I'd like to present one partner whith whom mint loves to mingle - chocolate!

Mint and chocolate serpentine.
I've found this recipe in the Kitchen Shelf - Chocolate book. I admit, it wouldn;t be my first choice but at that time neither my oven wasn't working and I had guests coming over for a dinner. So looking for something that's little work and doesn't need to chill for long I've picked out this dessert... and I was right!

• 300ml double or whipping cream
• 150ml natural yoghurt
• 4 tbsp icing sugar
• 175g dark chocolate
• 1tbsp mint liqueur ( I had none so I used 2tsp mint flavouring with one tbsp of vodka, can be any other unflavoured alcohol, and some green food colourant)
• 25g dark chocolate to garnish
• Martini or champagne glasses to serve (I only had whiskey glasses)
• a piece of greaseproof paper, piping bag or a sandwich bag with one end snipped
  

1. In a bowl whip teh cream then gently fold in yoghurt and sugar.
2. Put 1/3 of the mixture in a smaller bowl and add mint liqueur, taste and add more sugar/flavouring if needed.
3. Melt the chocolate and add it to the other part of the mixture, folding in gently
4. Put 2 tbsp on chocolate mixture in the glass then cover with 2 tbsp of mint mixture, continue layering till the glass is full then gently stir to get the serpentine effect. Pop into fridge till you're ready to serve them.
5. Melt the rest of chocolate and put into your piping bag. Pipe swirls on the greaseproof paper and put into the frisge so the chocolate will set. Pry them off the paper and on top of the desserts, don't worry if they break a bit.

I admit, the dessert looks more presentable in a martini or champagne glass.

Even more mint.

I'm a gamer, yes. And I like to cook. The best option is to comine the both and with queues for battlegrounds nowadays I can easily prepare delicious food inbetween farming the Alliance (and you can go wild even more if it's just Wintergrasp you're doing!).


Courgette and mint tart with feta cheese



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You might say it's the same as in risotto post but in this versions the same flavours give more creamy and delicious result - this was my first tart ever to bake and after all this time still holds the number one place among savoury ones.



Pastry:

• 250g plain flour
• 125g butter
• 1 egg
• a splash of milk
• salt, pepper

Filling:

• 500g courgettes
• 200g feta cheese, cubed
  
• 1 large or medium onion, chopped
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  
• 250ml natural yoghurt
• 4 eggs
• a bunch of fresh mint, choped ( or 4 tbsp dried one)
  
• pepper, salt

1. Prepare the pastry - put flour into a bowl and add butter, rub it together untill the mixture has consistency of breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, crack in the egg, add a splash of milk and quickly work it into a ball. Wrap in foil and put into the fridge for at least 30mins.
   
2. Grate the courgettes (you don't have to peel them), add a pinch of salt and put them in a sieve over a bowl to drain the juices.
3. Chop the onion and garlic and fry in a pan till onion turns glossy, add courgettes and cook for 10-15mins, set aside to cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C.
   
5. Roll the pastry till 0,5cm thick and put it in the tin making sure it fits snuggly. With a fork make some holes in the base of the pastry then cover with a greaseproof paper and weight it down with either rice, dried beans or baking beans.
6. Pop the pastry into the oven for 15mins then remove the paper and rice and bake for further 10mins.
7. In a bowl mix courgettes, eggs, yoghurt, cubed feta, mint and pepper (you might want to add a little salt but taste your feta before as it can be a quite salty cheese). Set aside for a few minutes.
8. Turn the oven to 220C, fill the pastry case with teh courgette filling and pop it in for 30-35mins, baking till it's set and slightly golden. Let it stand for a few minutes then serve warm.

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P.S. Today's dinner was happily baking while I got my For The Horde :)

Summer is for... mint!

I know that summer is almost over but when I decided to start this blog it was only starting. Still, whatever is left of it should be celebrated with good food!

There are always some things that make me think of summer and mint is one of them, bringing memories of picking up fresh stalks in my grandmother's garden and making apple and mint compote. Now a bit older, not really wiser, I've discovered the joys of cooking with mint. The perfect chilling and refreshing taste is what those hot summer days need! So trying to catch up I will post some mint recipes as an opener for my blog :)

Mint and courgette risotto.
I've found this recipe in the Waitrose magazine. It was my frist try at making any kind of risotto and I was a little nervous, as it turned out it was far less work and much easier to make than expected. It's refreshingly minty flavour mingles well with zingy taste of feta creating a perfect summer diner or lunch.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 500g courgettes, halved lenghtways and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 350 arborio risotto rice (can also use paella rice)
• 1.2 liters vegetable stock
• 25g fresh mint, chopped
• 20g fresh basil, chopped
• 100g feta cheese, cubed
• salt, pepper
  

1. Heat the oil in a wide pan (I was using wok) and add sliced courgettes. Fry over a medium heat for 5mins until golden on both sides. Add the garlic and seasoning, then cook for further 1min. Stir in the rice and cook for 1min until coated in oil.
2. Bring the stock to the boil and gradually add to the rice a ladefull at a time, stirring untill each amount is absorbed. Continue untill all the stock is added and rice is creamy and just tender. This will take 15-20mins.
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the herbs and the cubed feta and leave to rest for a couple of minutes. Check the seasoning and serve.

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Yes, I need to start taking pictures with an actual camera instead of my phone. Picture was taken a day or two after, the risotto keeps well in the fridge.