Mint: This Week's Market Report "Good Buy!"
Fresh herbs are growing like weeds this time of year! Fresh, sweet mint is one of my favorites because of its versatility and ability to transform ordinary ingredients into extraordinary dishes. We often see whole mint leaves as garnish on desserts and in cocktails for a reason: mint highlights natural sweetness and balances it out on our palates. But garnish is just the beginning. Mint is glorious when paired with sweet watermelon, tangy feta, and bright red onion. I also love sharp mint paired with creamy sheep’s milk cheese and green peas. Try muddling fresh mint leaves into the bottoms of your cocktail glasses; mojitos are the classic option, but daiquiris laced with fresh mint make any pool-side hangout more refreshing.
Mint is also beautiful paired with chocolate. I paint fresh mint leaves with melted dark chocolate, let it harden, and then scatter them atop puddings, cakes, and pies. I also recommend subbing basil with fresh mint for a totally new, vibrant take on pesto. Just remember: mint, like other soft, fresh herbs, like to be stored in look plastic with a slightly damp paper towel. And if you need to breathe life into limp mint, just plunge the leaves directly into ice water!
About the Chef
Stephanie Goldfarb is a Chicago-based chef and national food television personality specializing in seasonal, globally-inspired cuisine. Recognized as the winner of Food Network’s America’s Best Cook competition, and a celebrity chef on Kitchen Inferno and NBC’s Food Fighters, Goldfarb delivers unique and relatable culinary experiences to discriminating and casual diners alike. As the owner of the successful Seven Species Supper Club & Catering, she enjoys the challenge of building brand new menus each month that inspire both repeat clients and newcomers, and seeks opportunities to utilize new ingredients, techniques, and approaches in accessible ways.