minty cool freshness

Mint! A sprig of mint is summer to a T. The crisp freshness of the herb lends itself so perfectly to a meal on a warm night. Last night mint reigned supreme in my kitchen.

The last time my sister visited we began Mojitos and Tapas Night, something that she may not even know I have continued to do. On that particular evening we drank ourselves silly on rum, and blurrily swerved our way around the dinner table, dancing to Hall and Oates. While I hate to mar the glamor of that night in any way, getting pirate-drunk isn't exactly the most sustainable way for sis and I to party, as our pounding headaches the next day testified. I found the mojito needed a little re-invention, and Kettle vodka (a personal favorite of ours) has done just the trick!

The vodka mojito has all the mintiness and special-occasion-ness of the original, without all the blurry-sugary-trouble of the rum. This drink is especially fun to make for people at parties, and I fully enjoyed my post in the kitchen behind the pile of mint. We mashed mint with super-fine sugar, added fresh squeezed lime and club soda in a big pitcher and mixed individual drinks. We added a sprig of mint and a green straw in each cup, and I have to say they looked really incredible in my brightly colored metal 60s cups.

Loathe to drink on an empty stomach, I had not neglected the tapas. I made one dish my sister and I had tried on our first appetizer adventure: the garlic-sizzled shrimp out of Jill Duplex's Good Cooking (hot red chili, garlic, paprika olive oil and sherry), serving the beautiful prawns in the cast iron pan I cooked them in. I also tried something new from the same book: matchstick zucchini slices, quick fried with toasted almonds and tossed with mint, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. they were profoundly delicious; smoky from the almonds and fresh with mint, the dish, although deceptively simple, had a complex finish.

To end the night I made a Chocolate Pinwheel cake, one of my favorites. I love the cake's light yet rich texture due to the ribbon of bittersweet chocolate coursing throughout. It never looks too fussy: rather than frost the entire thing, you merely sandwich a rich, mousse-y chocolate between the four layers. The recipe calls for brandy in the frosting, but I skipped that and served it on a tall jade cake plate garnished with mint leaves... Of course!

For the love of mint!