As promised, a follow-up…
A couple of months ago, I wrote a post on peppermint creams, and at the end of it mentioned that we were attempting to make our own mint extract. We did this by filling a tall jar with fresh spearmint leaves and topping it up with vodka.
Here’s what the bottle looked like mid-January of this year:
It was left to brew in the pantry, over which time the spearmint leaves aged and darkened. I strained the extract and was quite surprised by the colour – it looks like dark brown, but is actually a very deep shade of olive green…
The extract is distinctly spearmint rather than peppermint, and a lot less potent than the commercial versions. I had to use quite a bit to get the flavour I was after, which resulted in a softer filling that was a little harder to work. Surprisingly, and happily, the fondant didn’t turn green, and the finished mint creams are delicious!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 