Mint is a perennial herbaceous plant, cultivated almost all over the world, always known, since the time of the ancient Egyptians, as a plant for medicinal remedies, thanks to its purifying and digestive properties.
Mint syrup is a preparation widely used in pastry, especially in summer, to prepare granitas, popsicles, creams and puddings.
Be careful, however, not to be deceived by appearances: if it is true that we are used to seeing emerald green syrups on the market, the homemade syrup with fresh mint leaves, without food coloring, will not seem very inviting to the eye, but just taste it to be immediately overwhelmed by its fresh and intense flavour.
Let's tie up the apron and let's get started!
INGREDIENTS for 225 mL of syrup:
225g water
20 g mint leaves
200 g granulated white sugar
the zest of half a lemon
PREPARATION
First, immerse the mint leaves in a bowl and let them soak for about ten minutes:
In a saucepan, heat the water, the zest of half a lemon and half the sugar until it has completely dissolved:
Let's drain the leaves and dab them with a little scottex paper; then chop them finely together with the other half of the sugar:
Combine the green and sugary mince with the water-lemon-and-sugar and mix, continuing to heat over low heat; let it boil for 10 minutes and then remove from the heat:
Cover with a lid and let it rest for at least one night (I let the mixture macerate for about 24 hours).
At this point, we have to filter our mixture to obtain the syrup.
We can use a very narrow mesh strainer or, if like me you don't have one, cover a "normal" strainer with a clean cloth, placing them over a bowl; pour the mixture on the filtering system and wait a few hours (I let it filter all night):
Let's transfer our syrup into a suitable container and start thinking about which recipes we can use it for:
If stored in the fridge, in a container with a lid, the Mint syrup can last up to 6 months!
If you want to download the card of this recipe, click below:
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