Maple syrup mint sauce

[Rovers]

OK, so I love lamb, but hate mint jelly, always have. A couple of weeks ago I gave away my bottle of Crosse and Blackwell mint sauce for a neighbor to try. I took some chops out of the freezer, and later remembered I had no mint sauce. C&B uses molasses and malt vinegar with chopped mint leaves. I had no molasses....

 

I threw some pure maple syrup, malt vinegar, a splash of water and chopped mint leaves from the garden together. No cooking, just let it sit in the fridge a couple hours. Poured this over the chops after grilling. It was awsome, even better than the C&B I've always used. I'll have to try it as a marinade. I sometimes finish the lamb in a frying pan with the C&B as well, so I'll have to try that with this new sauce, might make a nice glaze.

 

To the pros here... ever try anything like this? I almost never order lamb in a restaurant, unless they do something besides mint jelly. I love the mint, but jelly is just too sweet for my pallette, and it overwhelmes the meat. I doubt I'll ever buy the C&B again. This sauce blows it away, at least IMHO.

[Bier Meister]

i used to run a crusted lamb dish with mint demi. a gastrique is a syrupy sauce created from sugar, vinegar, and usually fruit. there are many, many derivatives of these and you are on the verge of creating a maple/mint gastrique (which should go very well with lamb). if you keep it loose, you can use it as a brine.... if you thicken it you can use it as a sauce or glaze. you could use it to finish you lamb by either basting and grilling, or by popping it in the oven (or even broiler... just do it quickly so you don't burn it).

 

 

sat night we went out to a restaurant in denver we like..... vesta. they had a fantastic app of lamb ribs. i could eat those all night.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Bier Meister

[Rovers]

 

Thanks, Bier. So to thicken it, I just put it in a pan at low temp?

[Bier Meister]

 

Thanks, Bier. So to thicken it, I just put it in a pan at low temp?

 

 

med-high heat...just watch it, once you it starts to thicken, it will thicken quickly

 

 

 

edit:

 

Gastrique:

6 oz sugar

4 oz wine vinegar

You could add a fruit juice or jelly/jam to give an added flavor to your dish.

 

 

put sugar in a sauce pot on low to medium heat.

allow the sugar to melt and start to brown until it caramelizes.

remove from the heat and cool slightly.

add the wine vinegar and place back on the heat.

simmer until the caramel has dissolved add your fruit juice and reduce until your desired consistency and you are done.

you can cool this, store it and use later for other sauces or as a sauce itself.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Bier Meister

[detlef]

I've certainly messed with the sweet mint variations for lamb. My favorite being a SE Asian glaze using sweet chili, fish sauce, a bit of citrus, and mint.

 

To be honest, I'm actually having a hard time envisioning the maple/mint combo but that certainly doesn't mean it wouldn't work. If molasses and mint work, then I guess it makes perfect sense. More than that, you've done it, tasted it, and loved it, so there you go. Guess I'll have to try it. I certainly have enough freaking mint growing in the yard.

 

Like Bier was getting to, I would be careful about the marinade because it will burn. You could, as he suggested, do a very dilute maple and salt brine and then glaze the finished chops with a tighter sauce like that you made.