Mint Sauce

I was getting a bit tired of having mint jelly with my lamb chops, and decided to make a fresh mint sauce. It was astonishingly easy, so now I need more to write about to make this a worthwhile post.

First of all, isn't that the cutest saucepan you've ever seen? It holds One Cup! I assume its primary purpose is for melting butter and making sauces.

Mint is a great herb to have growing at home, if for no other reason than it is nearly impossible to kill. And I can kill anything botanical. Plants die when they see me coming, just to save time. I let my mint plant dry out and die on purpose when I went on vacation. When I got back, I cut off all the dead branches, loosened up the soil, and watered it very well. A week later, I had sprouts coming up. One of the cruelest things you could do to a gardener is to plant mint in the ground. Keep it in a pot.

The sauce has a simple-syrup base, but the vinegar gives it a strong, tangy kick. It doesn't taste as sweet as you would expect. And it's low-cal and fat free!

1/4 C water

1/4 C sugar

1/2 C finely chopped fresh mint

1/2 C vinegar (distilled, white wine, red wine... your favorite accent)

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a low boil until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in mint leaves and vinegar. Allow to cool to room temperature. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes approximately 1 cup

Difficulty rating  π