Mind Games: Meet Chocolate Mint

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

I first heard about chocolate mint (the plant)–not to be confused with mint chocolate (the candy)–from former Rock Creek-Mazza Gallerie pastry chef Yasmine Sandhu. I was weighing pastry school at the time, and Yasmine was kind enough to let me volunteer or stage in her kitchen so that I could get more of a feel for the day-to-day life of a pastry chef.

Although Yasmine had to design her menu within pretty rigid nutritional requirements (Rock Creek’s petite desserts were all under 100 calories), at the restaurant, she had a lot of freedom to alter the menu as she saw fit. She was able to buy a lot of her produce from local markets, and would build her sweet creations around what was seasonally available. She told me one of the things she was excited to get her hands on was chocolate mint.

Mint comes in an astounding number of varieties. We are all (overly) familiar with spearmint and peppermint, probably not so much in its natural state, but as popular flavors in anything from ice cream to cookies to chocolate bars. But mint plants come in a mulititude of varieties and hybrids, some of the most appetizing sounding of which include pineapple mint, apple mint, orange mint, lime mint, ginger mint, lavender mint, and lemon mint.

So is chooclate mint as appealing as the name suggests? Uh, that would be a yes. I first spied it at the Arlington Courthouse Farmers Market shortly after my conversation with Yasmine. In addition to produce, Potomac Vegetable Farms sells beautiful (almost bouquet-size) bunches of fresh herbs at the Saturday market. You’ll notice them advertised enticingly–their names neatly and colorfully displayed on small chalk boards. So when I saw “Chocolate Mint” in green block letters, I couldn’t resist.

The plant’s aroma is what will first hit you. It is a little bit of a mind game smelling chocolate mint because, well…it smells like mint chocolate candy.  (Looks like a pump, feels like a sneaker). One website describes its odor as reminiscent of Andes creme de menthe thins but the aroma is fuller-bodied and more sensual. It is like smelling a good quality high cacao content dark chocolate with a sea breeze overlay.

It is all so intoxicating you might want to nosh a leaf on its own. Of course you are still eating mint, not chocolate, but because by some estimates 80% of what you perceive as “flavor” (as opposed to “taste”) comes from your sense of smell, your imagination fills in the blanks (namely, the snap of the tempered chocolate and its heady combination of fruity smoky flavors). In reality, the finish of chocolate mint is comparable to spearmint–not quite the level of tingle that you get in the menthol-packed peppermint, but lightly cooling nonetheless.

Hey, at the very least, a leaf or two makes a fantastic natural breath mint or palate cleanser.

So what can you do with chocolate mint? You’ve got a lot of options–some pretty basic, like using it to make either an iced or hot tea, or chiffonading it to eat with fresh berries. Here I’m having it with some fresh, plump blueberries, also from the Courthouse market.

You can also infuse the mint in dairy-based desserts such as panna cotta (a no-fuss dessert of Italian pedigree), or, in the spirit of this month’s Freeze Jag, in a French custard-style ice cream. (Forget American or Philadelphia-style ice cream–without the eggs, it is not nearly as luxurious. If you are gonna eat the ‘cream, don’t count the calories and fat, I say.)

 The Perfect Scoop author, chef and food blogger David Lebovitz’s Mint Chip Ice Cream recipe, which has the grace to leave out terribly offensive green food dye, is the perfect way to pay due tribute to chocolate mint. After infusing handfuls of mint into warmed cream and milk, you will cook the egg cream and sugar mixture to nappe (170 Fahrenheit so that the eggs are safe), strain and cool, and let the ice cream base age over night before running it through your ice cream machine.  And the last step is the best step: folding melted chocolate into the ice cream to make natural “chips.”

-Johnisha M. Levi

August 7-13 is Virginia Farmer’s Market Week!

Northern Virginia’s Farmers Markets and Hours

Annandale Farmers Market • 6621 Columbia Pike, Annandale – Thu, 8-noon
Arlington Farmers Market • N. 14th St. & N. Courthouse Road, Arlington – Sat, 8-noon
Ashburn Farmers Market • 44036 Pipeline Plaza, Ashburn – Sat, 8-noon
Ballston Farmers Market • N. Stuart St. & N. Ninth St. – Thu, 3-7 p.m.
Brambleton Farmers Market • 22875 Brambleton Plaza, Ashburn – Sun, 9-1 p.m.
Burke Farmers Market • 5671 Roberts Parkway, Burke – Sat, 8-noon
Cascades Farmers Market • 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling – Sun, 9-1 p.m.
Clarendon Farmers Market• 3100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington – Wed, 3-7 p.m.
Columbia Pike Farmers Market • S. Walter Reed Drive & Columbia Pike – Sun, 9-1 p.m.
Community Farmers Market • West & Main Streets (Sat), North St. & Old Lee Highway (Sun), Fairfax – Sat: 8-1 p.m.; Sun: 10-2 p.m.
Crystal City Farmers Market • Crystal Square Arcade between S. 18th and 20th Streets – Tue, 3-7 p.m.
Culpeper Farmers Market • E. Davis & Commerce Streets – Sat, 7:30-noon
Dale City Farmers Market • Dale Blvd. & Minnieville Road, Dale City – Sun, 8-1 p.m.
Del Ray Farmers’ Market • E. Oxford & Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria – Sat, 8-noon
Fairfax Farmers Market • 3720 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax – Tue, 8-noon
Falls Church Farmers Market • 300 Park Ave., Falls Church – Sat, 8-noon
Fredericksburg Farmers Market• George and Prince Edward Streets, Fredericksburg – Mon-Sat, 7-6 p.m.; Sun, 12:30-4 p.m.
Frying Pan Farmers Market • 2709 West Ox Road, Herndon – Wed, 8-12:30 p.m.
Great Falls Farmers Market • 750 Walker Road, Great Falls – Sat, 9-1 p.m.
Haymarket Farmers Market • 1500 Washington St., Haymarket – Sat, 8-2 p.m.
Herndon Farmers Market • Lynn and Station Streets, Herndon – Thu, 8-noon
Kingstowne Farmers Market • Kingstowne Center & Kingstowne Blvd., Franconia – Fri, 4-7 p.m.
Leesburg Farmers Market • 20 Catoctin Circle S.E., Leesburg – Sat, 8-noon
Lorton Farmers Market • 8990 Lorton Station Blvd., Lorton – Sun, 9-1 p.m.
McLean Farmers Market • 1659 Chain Bridge Road, McLean – Fri, 8-noon
Middleburg Farmers Market • 300 W. Washington St., Middleburg – Sat, 8-noon
Mount Vernon Farmers Market • 2501 Sherwood Hall Lane, Alexandria – Tue, 8-noon
Nokesville Farmers Market • 13005 Fitzwater Drive, Nokesville – Sat, 8-noon
Oakton Farmers Market • 3200 Jermantown Road, Oakton – Wed, 8-noon
Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market • 301 King St., Alexandria – Sat, 5:30-11 a.m.
Old Town Manassas Farmers Market • 9201 Center St., Manassas – Thu, 7-1 p.m.; Sat, 7:30-2:30 p.m.
Nokesville Farmers Market • 13005 Fitzwater Drive, Nokesville – Sat, 8-noon
Purcellville Farmers Market• 751 E. Main St., Purcellville – Sat, 8-noon
Reston Farmers Market • 11400 Washington Plaza W., Reston – Sat, 8-noon
Smart Markets – Centreville • 5875 Trinity Parkway, Centreville – Fri, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Smart Markets – Fairfax Corner • Grand Commons Ave., Fairfax – Tue, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Smart Markets – Gainesville • 13297 Gateway Center Drive, Gainesville – Sun, 10:30-1:30 p.m.
Smart Markets – Herndon • 460 Elden St., Herndon – Thu, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Smart Markets – Oakton • 2854 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton – Sat, 10-2 p.m.
Smart Markets – Reston • 11890 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston – Wed, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Upper King Street Farmers Market • 1806 King St., Alexandria – Wed, 3-7 p.m.
Vienna Farmers Market • 131 Church St. N.E., Vienna – Sat, 8-noon
Wakefield Farmers Market • 8100 Braddock Road, Annandale – Wed, 2-6 p.m.
Warrenton Farmers Market • Branch Drive and Warrenton Village Center (Wed), S. Fifth & Lee Streets (Sat) – Wed, 7-1 p.m.; Sat, 7-noon
West End Farmers Market • 4800 Brenman Park Drive, Alexandria – Sun, 9-1 p.m.

Or click here for our full list of local farmers markets

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