Inspiration: Cucumber Mint Icy

With, what feels like, an early summer in our midst, I have been drowning in a sea of iced treat inspiration. I have been wanting to try this one out for awhile because I feel like cucumber and mint are both rather refreshing, cool-you-down ingredients.

I didn't want this to be an ice cream or a sorbet so I played with a few different options; the mold, the Popsicle, and the granita. All three used the same recipe, the only difference was the way it was presented. I call this an "icy" because I was aiming for the crystallized texture that I usually hate having in my other recipes. While I think this flavor combination would work well as a smooth sorbet, when I first came up with the idea I imagined it as a cold, crystallized treat that would take significantly longer to thaw in the summer heat.

Cucumber Mint Icy

4 cucumbers
3 sprigs of fresh mint
4 T agave nectar
1 t tequila

Peel the cucumbers (if desired, reserve a few strips of the skin for garnish). Cut peeled cucumbers in half - the long way - and scoop/discard the seeds using a spoon. Cut into chunks and blend until there are no chunks. Strain the mixture completely (there will still be some pulp on the bottom of the strainer- this is fine to use...you just want to break up the bigger chunks). Chiffonade the mint leaves and add to cucumber liquid. Mix in agave and tequila.




For Popsicle: Add to Popsicle mold and freeze - Don't forget the sticks!
For Mold: Pour mixture into desired mold and freeze...be sure to let it freeze long enough for the middle to be solid!
For Granita: Pour into freezer-proof bowl and freeze. Agitate mixture with a fork approximately every 10 minutes until ice crystals are firm.

Garnish: Julienne strips of cucumber skin and stick in bowl of ice water until they begin to curl. Toss in sugar and place on top of icy!


If you would prefer a sorbet to the harsh iciness of the icy just add another 1/4c. of agave, another 1/2 teaspoon of tequila, and churn in an ice cream maker.

Infusion: Matcha Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Let's bring a little science back into this, shall we? All this cooking out of cookbooks is making me antsy and frustrated. ESPECIALLY since I find myself holding grudges against the authors for their recipes. Don't get me wrong, I understand the effort and skill it takes to formulate recipes...but damn, these formulas cannot seem to get on my good side. The thing of it is...they are great concepts. The flavor combinations are spectacularly unique and beautiful, but the recipes themselves are just "meh." So I'm going to take a break to fulfill a request.
Gennyfer brilliantly suggested Green Tea Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream as my next endeavor. It seemed less intense than the Chocolate Jalapeno that Heather had suggested, mostly because I already had most of the ingredients in my home....so I gave it a go. I decided to combine two recipes. Fer Food's Green Tea Mint Chocolate Chip and Ma'Ona's Matcha Ice Cream recipe. This would take my love for custard base ice creams and infuse it with the flavors I desired to be in my ice cream. Butterflies in belly, I began the process. I was quite nervous because my ice creams have mostly felt like failures lately, and I had such high hopes for this one.

Matcha Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

7t. Matcha Green Tea
4t. dried peppermint leaves
4c. half and half
4 egg yolks
3/4c. sugar
1/2t. peppermint extract
3/4c. chocolate chunks

In a heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until thick and fluffy. In a heavy based saucepan heat half and half, matcha, and mint until almost simmering. Temper dairy into yolk mixture and return to pan. Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. Strain repeatedly until the ice cream base no longer has herbs in it. Spin in ice cream maker until thick. Add chocolate chunks in during the last couple minutes and allow to churn until incorporated. Transfer to freezer-proof dish and freeze until firm.

"How'd it turn out?" You ask? Phenomenal. The texture is PERFECT. The matcha is rather subtle because the mint intensified while I let my base chill overnight...but because I used dark chocolate chunks, my cocoa counterpart put up quite a fight against the peppermint avenger. What I like most about it is that there isn't much separation in flavor. Like with the Peach Cardamom, it literally infused into one new flavor compound rather than "Oh, here's the mint...And now I taste the chocolate...Oh! And there's the matcha flavor!" I think the recipe would be just fine with a more mellow chocolate, but the dark was certainly no problem. I am very excited to share these samples for some feedback :)

Imagination: Mojito Granita

When making ice cream, one scientifically awesome fall-back is alcohol. Unlike sugar, which chemically alters ice cream differently than sorbet...alcohol makes both treats gloriously smooth. In most situations it can also strengthen the flavor quality of the ice cream or sorbet. In those cases, however, it's better to cook out the alcohol to keep the flavor without effecting the texture of your product.

Some great flavor combinations are port wine & plum, amaretto liquor & cherry, and rum & banana. Another very obvious combination would be rum & mint. I had rum in the cabinet from my banana-bread-ice cream experiment (which I shall post about once I get pictures), a mint plant growing in the window, and some lime juice in the fridge (it's seriously one of those things that will just stick around the fridge for months...like ketchup or maple syrup!) so it seemed pretty clear...Time to attempt a granita!

Granita is a Sicilian ice dessert that is essentially the consistency of a snow cone. This is achieved by continually freezing and scraping flavored ice. It takes some time, but is definitely worth it.

Mojito Granita

3c. water
1c. raw sugar
1/4c. Meyer's dark rum (better for cooking/baking)
2 bunches of mint
3/4c. lime juice

In a pot, combine the water and sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar is disolved. Add the rum while the syrup is still hot (this will cook out the alcohol, while still leaving the flavor). Allow to cool. Put mint and lime juice in blender, and add cooled syrup. Pour into metal cake-pan and freeze. Scrape mixture with a fork every half hour for 4 hours. Scrape into bowls to serve.