fruit with mint

[nyfirepatrolchef]

Just for sh*ts & giggles I bought a wee bottle of peppermint oil based mint flavoring at whole foods.

Since I like to experiment with smoothies, I was looking for opinions of which, if any, fruit concoctions the stuff would work with. After all I got some positive feedback when I accidentally concocted my first blueberry smoothie with rosemary.

Okay kiddies...3...2...1...discuss!~

[tryska]

are you trying to do strictly fruits and peppermint or chocolate or vanilla as well?

Edited August 12, 2003 by tryska (log)

[phaelon56]

Blueberry and mint sounds like a natural. Just contemplating it in my mental taste sensation center (which becomes particularly active at this time of day).... I'm thinking that watermelon, peach, apricot and maybe just maybe strawberries would also mesh nicely. I'm ruling out bananas and oranges but I think a sweet grapefruit might work nicely. Haven't really contemplated the rest of the melon family or any of the less abundant berries....

[KateW]

I think grapefruit goes well with mint. Not sure how you can incorporate that into a smoothie though.

[FoodMan]

Peaches and mint are great.

FM

[bloviatrix]

Mango and mint go well together.

[nyfirepatrolchef]

are you trying to do strictly fruits and peppermint or chocolate or vanilla as well?

just fruits..no can do chocolate....but whatcha got in mind for vanilla?

[nyfirepatrolchef]

Blueberry and mint sounds like  a natural.  Just contemplating it in my mental taste sensation center (which becomes particularly active at this time of day)....  I'm thinking that watermelon, peach, apricot and maybe just maybe strawberries would also mesh nicely.  I'm ruling out bananas and oranges but I think a sweet grapefruit might work nicely.  Haven't really contemplated the rest of the melon family or any of the less abundant berries....

wooooooo....yeah I thought blues and mint would work too....I asked a person half my age just to test the waters....I shoulda gone with instinct instead.....

[laurel]

I've enjoyed raspberries with (fresh) mint.

[nyfirepatrolchef]

ok kiddies....give ourselves a round of applause.....quaffing my first blueberry mint smoothie....a bit heavy on the mint...but woooooooa this feels GOOD going down!~

[slbunge]

I've had salads with cantaloupe, honeydew, and mint (also red onion, pinenuts and feta). Also had soupe with cantaloupe and mint. In both cases, the flavors seemed to go well together. Not sure if it would work as a smoothie but it might be worth a try.

[SobaAddict70]

hm, vanilla. Are you working with fresh vanilla beans or vanilla extract?

does it have to be a smoothie, or can other preparations work (i.e., granita, sorbet, pudding, flan, souffle, panna cotta)?

are you looking for depth of flavor or something that lies on the surface?

help me out here.

Soba

ps. good to see you again nyFPC.

[nyfirepatrolchef]

hm, vanilla.  Are you working with fresh vanilla beans or vanilla extract?

does it have to be a smoothie, or can other preparations work (i.e., granita, sorbet, pudding, flan, souffle, panna cotta)?

are you looking for depth of flavor or something that lies on the surface?

help me out here.

Soba

ps.  good to see you again nyFPC.

well, the vanilla wasnt my concept...but Id love to hear ideas for a smoothie with mint and vanilla....but yeah unless theres versions of the desserts you mention sans dairy and sugar....all I have is the old reliable smoothie...and ya know...on the BIG plus side...as I found out the mint has medicinal value (I knew already I just didnt know what besides as a digestive aid). Ive had the mother of headaches all day. Within ten minutes of starting to down the smoothie, it was *gone*. I researched it and lo and behold....good for headaches too...aint nature GREAT!~

Take THAT (snaps fingers) Merck Sharp & Dome!~

Nice to see you too Soba....thanks for the welcome back...but Im never far ;)

[SobaAddict70]

Ok, it's been a while since you've posted, chief. I can think of some ideas, but some help would be appreciated:

a) how much sugar must be left out? All?

b) If no sugar, is honey acceptable? Date sugar? Carob? Sucanat? Aspartame? Splenda? Fructose?

c) Is alcohol acceptable? If yes, in what kind of amounts?

As for ideas involving mint and/or vanilla, how about the following:

Apple slices, soaked in either orange blossom water or rosewater, and then dipped in fritter batter, and fried

Mint granita -- mint, sweetener, water, creme de menthe

Prunes, soaked in mulled white wine, lightly steeped Earl Grey tea, sweetener, vanilla and lemon juice. Serve warm or chilled.

Cranshaw (or other type of melon) and white peach fruit soup (melon, peaches, vanilla, lemon, lavender (or other type of honey) and mint)

Is it possible to make a simple syrup by using an alternate sweetener instead of sugar? That'd go a long way to working around the sugar problem.

Summer fruit and ginger soup (lemons, oranges, peaches, nectarines, ginger, sweetener, salt, mulled red wine. Maybe add mint-infused simple syrup made with an alternate sweetener as above)

Try making a pear and plum smoothie, using cinnamon and/or vanilla in the mix.

Do you like star anise or aniseed?

Soba

[KNorthrup]

I've seen a lot of recipes the combine pineapple and mint. Dislike mint myself so haven't tried them but can see the logic.

[SobaAddict70]

Oh yeah, who could forget roasted pineapple, with mint? Maybe a pineapple-mint smoothie, made with half ripe pineapple and half roasted? (But not sure if pineapple lends itself to a smoothie...)

Soba

[eatmorepesto]

Ripe apricots, fresh mint and ice in a blender. This is VERY refreshing on a hot day. Our mother made these when we were kids, before we'd heard of "smoothies".

[tryska]

just fruits..no can do chocolate....but whatcha got in mind for vanilla?

vanilla, raspberries and mint.

you could also mess around with apple juice as a base.

soba - pineapples are the best fruit for smoothies imo - they add thickness, plus just that hint of tartness ont he back end when you ened it.

[nyfirepatrolchef]

vanilla, raspberries and mint.

you could also mess around with apple juice as a base.

ooooooooh nice.....mental note to pick up frozen raspberries next shopping trip....

and I usually DO use apple juice...along with soy milk. I find if I use straight soy milk, it masks the fruit flavor to a degree. By getting the creamy properties of the soy milk and making it more fruit based and thinner with apple juice I tend to get better fruit flavor.

[tryska]

that's exactly what i do! 10oz soy milk +4 oz apple or orange depending on the fruit - it makes a nice creamy smoothie without having to add sorbets or yogurt.

the biggest problem i find is that usin just soy you wind up with this bland not quite sweet not quite anything taste on the back end. just seems sort of blunted. the apple or orange juice or adding some pinapple to the mix solves that problem.

Edited August 13, 2003 by tryska (log)

[NVNVGirl]

Pineapple and mint, no doubt about it....grilled with lime, pepper, honey and mint....one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world !

[KatieLoeb]

How about vanilla soy milk??? Kill two turds with one bone, so to speak...

[aliwaks]

Have you tried using silken tofu?

How about 1tbs silken tofu, a banana, unsweetened cocoa, what ever sweetener you are comfortable with (honey sucanat aspartame etc) ice & mint

It would be a pretty thick smoothie but you'd get that chocolate/mint taste thats so good.