Dear CS - in Libya - we dried them and made sweet mint tea with it - mixed with green tea. Sirup - that is another idea... You might also go for a minty sherbet. My dad swears on mint sauce to be added to certain meat recipes fm the UK. we add mint as a decoration to sweet dishes. You might also put them into the water of ice cubes - (you know the old ice cube pots?) - well - then i have to admit to be at "the end" with tips...

Oh yeah, tea would be excellent!

I don't really like mint unless it's in candy.

i was going to suggest mint tea, too! you can brew it from fresh leaves as well--nothing like picking some herbs and having tea from them right away that day! i recommend honey, it's so soothing!

one of my favorite things to do with mint is to bruise it and put it in a pitcher of water, either on its own or with some sliced up oranges, limes or lemons. as soon as you stir it, it already tastes faintly of the mint! it's really refreshing!

i posted my recipe for soupas in kitchen goddess for you! =)

i also posted a recipe for oyster mushroom fettucine last night, and that has some mint. =)

i have an herbal that has a lot of recipes in it--so i will see what mint recipes i can find for you!

thnx so much avicenna!
looking forward to them

My mum makes a fantastic chocolate cake with a mint-infused light custard - let me know if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, and I'll translate/post the recipe.

hell yeah i'm interested lol
please do advah, much apreciated

Hehhee ok I'll start working on it now and let you know when it's online.

Posted!

oh that reminds me! i put chopped up mint in my BROWNIES one time, along with some mint extract, instead of nuts. it was so yummy! =)

ooh that must be yummy, chocolate and mint are a great combo, my mom loves it.

I'm not really a mint person unless it's in chocolate chip ice cream.

...lets not forget those delightful thin mints girl scout cookies Twinkle.

my first thought is a mojito!

but I know I've used fresh mint before in other recipes, so let me look and get back to you.

I was going to say Grasshopper Pie but I don't know if mint leaves are really in it or not.

DIRECTIONS Mint Juleps
Combine water, sugar and chopped mint leaves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow syrup to cool, approximately 1 hour. Pour syrup through a strainer to remove mint leaves
Fill eight cups or frozen goblets with crushed ice and pour 4 ounces of bourbon and 1/4 cup mint syrup in each. (Proportions can be adjusted depending on each person's sweet tooth). Top each cup with a mint sprig and a straw. Trim straws to just barely protrude from the top of the cups. Serve juleps on a silver platter.
FOOTNOTE
If you are using silver goblets, place them in the freezer for at least half an hour before serving. Handle frozen goblets with a clean towel, holding them by their edges, so as not to mar the lovely frosted surface.
2 cups water
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
32 fluid ounces Kentucky bourbon
8 sprigs fresh mint leaves for garnish

Salmon with Orange and Mint Sauce recipe
ingredients
4 salmon or salmon trout steaks
about 2 3/4 cups (21 fl oz) 600 ml court bouillon
mint sprigs to garnish

for the sauce
about 30 mint leaves
juice and 1/2 grated rind of 1/2 orange
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon redcurrant jelly
3 tablespoons boiling water5641003159287430
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

for the salad
1 endive or crisp lettuce
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch Watercress (salad cress)
1 bunch spring onions

method
1. Place the steaks in the warm court bouillon. Bring gently up to simmering, allow to bubble once or twice, then remove from the heat. Turn the steaks over in the poaching liquid, and leave them to cool, covered with a lid or plate. Leave for about 1 hour then lift the steaks out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate and leave to chilL

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Very finely chop the mint leaves. Add the orange rind to the mint leaves in a bowl with the honey and redcurrant jelly. Pour over the boiling water and mix well. Then add the juice from the orange and the wine vinegar and leave to chilL

3. Arrange the endive or lettuce on a serving plate around the salmon steaks, and place the thinly sliced cucumber and watercress sprigs around the edge. Toss a few spring onions, sliced thinly lengthways, over the salad. Spoon a spoonful of sauce over each salmon steak and sprinkle the rest over the salad.

4. Garnish the salmon with sprigs of mint. Drink a good chilled white wine with this lovely fresh salad.

serving amount
serves 4

Lamb Chops with Minted Aubergine recipe
ingredients
2 aubergines (egg plant), cut into cubes
1 red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 lamb shoulder chops
2 tbsp spoons mint, finely chopped
4 tbsp Greek-style yogurt

method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, Gas Mark 6.

2. Put the aubergines, onion and garlic onto a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and season well.

3. Bake for 30 minutes, basting twice during the cooking time.

4. Meanwhile cook the shoulder chops according to pack instructions.

5. Stir the mint into the cooked aubergines.

6. Serve with the lamb chops and a generous spoonful of Greek-style yogurt

serving amount
serves 4

Slow-Cooked Leg of Lamb With Fresh Mint Sauce
Yield 8 servings

Time About 6 hours

Mark Bittman

Summary
The lamb roasts undisturbed for hours at a time; it can be finished in as little as 6 hours or as many as 8 or 10. It can be cooked most of the way and set aside for a few hours (tented with aluminum foil), to be finished just before serving, or held in a very low oven for an hour or even two (again, covered) after it is done.

Ingredients
4 large garlic cloves, peeled1 tablespoon coarse salt1 whole leg of lamb, about 6 poundsSalt and black pepper to taste1/2 cup sherry vinegar1/3 cup sugar2 cups fresh mintMethod
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mince garlic and mix with salt. With a small sharp knife, poke holes all over lamb and insert some garlic-salt mixture into each hole. Smear any remaining mixture on lamb skin, then sprinkle with additional salt, if desired, and pepper. Place lamb in roasting pan, cover lightly with aluminum foil and put it in oven.
2. Cook for 4 hours, then remove foil. Cook for about 2 more hours, or until a sharp, thin-bladed knife can be easily inserted into meat. If lamb skin is not browned, raise heat to 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
3. To make mint sauce, combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan with 1/3 cup water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Cool for a few minutes, then place in a blender with mint; blend until smooth. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve (or refrigerate overnight and return to room temperature before serving).
4. Carve lamb and spoon pan juices over slices. Serve hot, passing sauce at table.

Chicken and Cabbage Salad with Fresh Mint
The Vietnamese herb called rau ram is a perfect complement for the chicken and other seasonings in this dish, but fresh mint is lovely if you don't have rau ram. In Vietnam this salad, goi ga, is traditionally served with mien ga, a nourishing chicken dish made with the broth created by poaching chicken for this salad.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless chicken breast, or 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar, cider vinegar, or freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup very thinly sliced onion
2 cups finely shredded green, savoy, or Napa cabbage
1 package (2 tablespoons) yeast (bread machine, rapid rise, or active dry)
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, cilantro, or basil leaves
1/2 cup rau ram leaves (available at Asian markets; optional)
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped roasted and salted peanuts (optional)
Preparation:

Put chicken in a medium saucepan and add 2 to 3 cups of water, enough to cover chicken by about 1/2 inch. Bring to rolling boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer. Cook until done, 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar and mix everything well. Add sliced onion and toss to coat. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes, until you are ready to complete the dish.
Transfer the meat to a plate to cool, reserving the broth for another use, such as making soup or cooking rice. When the chicken is cool, tear it into long, thin shreds. Coarsely chop the mint and/or herbs. Add the shredded chicken, cabbage, carrots, mint, and herbs to the bowl of onions and seasonings, and toss to coat everything well. Mound the salad on a serving plate, and top with chopped peanuts, if using. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Yield:
4 to 6 servings

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: (if 4 servings): 206 calories, 29 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 78 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 760 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 15%

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe
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Note that if you do not have fresh mint, you can make this mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe with peppermint extract. Skip steps 1 and 2, instead heating 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of cream and the sugar and salt until steaming. Continue with step 3. Add 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract in with the chilled custard mixture in step 6.

Ingredients

3 cups of fresh mint leaves (not stems), rinsed, drained, packed
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream (divided, 1 cup and 1 cup)
2/3 cup sugar
A pinch of salt
6 egg yolks
6 ounces semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate, chopped fine, keep in the freezer until used
Method

1 Put the mint leaves in a heavy saucepan with the 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of the cream. Heat until just steaming (do not let boil), remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes. Reheat the mixture until steaming, remove from heat and let stand for 15 more minutes.

2 While the mint is infusing in step 1, prepare the remaining cream over an ice bath. Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a medium size metal bowl, set in ice water (with lots of ice) over a larger bowl. Set a mesh strainer on top of the bowls. Set aside.

3 Strain the milk cream mixture into a bowl, pressing against the mint leaves with a rubber spatula in the sieve to get the most liquid out of them. Return the milk cream mixture to the saucepan. Add sugar and salt to the mixture. Heat until just steaming again, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

4 Whisk the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Slowly pour the heated milk cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm mixture, but not cooked by it. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

5 Return the saucepan to the stove, stirring the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. This can take about 10 minutes.

The custard base does not coat the back of the spoon, it is not ready.

The custard base coats the back of the spoon. You can run your finger across the coating and have it not run. It is ready and should be removed from heat immediately, and poured through the sieve over the ice bath to stop the cooking.

6 Pour the custard through the strainer (from step 2) and stir into the cold cream to stop the cooking.

7 Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (at least a couple of hours) or stir the mixture in the bowl placed over the ice bath until thoroughly chilled (20 minutes or so). Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

8 Once the ice cream has been made in the ice cream maker it should be pretty soft. Gently fold in the finely chopped chocolate. Put in an airtight container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours. If it has been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften it before serving.

Note that there is no alcohol in this recipe. A few teaspoons of some spirits such as rum or bourbon will help keep the ice cream soft over several days. Even the alcohol in vanilla extract will help. If you have no added alcohol in a homemade ice cream recipe, we recommend that you eat it up quickly, in a day or two; beyond that point the ice cream will quickly get very very hard.

Makes 1 quart.

I've always wanted to try this recipe. It's a fruit salad with black pepper dressing (and LOTS of mint)
www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/dessert-recipes/fruit-salad-with-black-pep...

This pasta salad is pretty good.
www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/salad-vegetable-recipes/pepper-packed-past...

And then this yogurt sauce with spiced patties is delicious!
www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/hamburger-recipes/indian-spiced-patties-wi...

whoa! thank you guys so much for all of the exciting recipes.
i'll be making some of these and posting!