Before long now, that lovely little mint plant will overgrow the yard, not
unlike a marauding green conqueror bent on claiming everything in its path.
Take advantage of all that green, fresh flavor to add a kick to
chocolate sauce. Credit Heidemarie Vukovic, chocolatier and pastry chef,
for these two sauces: One marked by the creaminess of half-and-half and
the other a sauce that's rich in flavor but contains no milk or cream.
Ms. Vukovic, the owner of Chocolate Harmony and co-owner of Cakes on
Call in Houston, delivered a seminar on chocolate at the eighth annual
Herbal Forum at Round Top in the spring. (Round Top is about an hour
east of Austin.)
She offered these recipes as one way to bring two favorites – chocolate
and mint – together.
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Evans Caglage / The Dallas Morning News
Mint chocolate sauce is an elegant dressing for unadorned strawberries.
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Both recipes start with an infusion made with bruised mint. To bruise
mint on the stem, give a handful a good twist (as though wringing out
clothes); if you have leaves, crush them to release the oils.
Ms. Vukovic advises using a high-quality chocolate for these recipes;
she prefers Valrhona. She mentioned that high-end chocolate makers are
putting the percentage of cocoa mass on the packaging: The higher the
percentage of cocoa mass, the less sugar in the mix.
A chocolate with 64 percent cocoa mass, for instance, would be
bittersweet, not semisweet. A chocolate with 75 percent is even less
sweet. Let your taste be your guide in making the sauces.
Then smother coffee ice cream or luscious summer berries with a cape of
minty chocolate, secure in knowing that you've subdued the green
monster, at least for a while.
E-mail lehret@dallasnews.com
Summer Mint Chocolate Sauce
Pictured • Quick
1 3/4 cups half-and-half
½ cup sugar
½ cup firmly packed mint, bruised
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
In a saucepan heat the half-and-half and sugar to a boil while stirring.
Remove from heat and add the bruised mint and cover to infuse for 10
minutes.
Put both chocolates in a medium bowl.
Reheat the half-and-half mixture until it comes to a boil, remove from
heat and pour through a strainer over the chocolate. Stir completely
till the chocolate has melted.
Pour the hot sauce into clean 1/2-pint jars. Store chocolate sauce in
the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Serve sauce warm over ice cream or
fresh berries. Makes about 21/2 cups.
SOURCE: Heidemarie Vukovic
Mint Chocolate Sauce No. 2
Quick
1 ½ cups water
¾ cup sugar
½ cup firmly packed mint
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
Put water with the sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil slowly, stirring
constantly to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and add the bruised
mint. Cover and infuse for 10 minutes.
Put the chocolate and cocoa powder in a bowl.
Reheat the mint syrup to a boil and then pour through a strainer over
the chocolate and cocoa powder. Stir until completely melted and smooth.
Pour into clean 1/2 pint jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2
weeks. Can be served warm or cold. Makes about 21/2 cups.
SOURCE: Heidemarie Vukovic
