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Mint Sauce (Cup finely chopped mint leaves)
1/4 cup finely chopped mint leaves 1/2 cup vinegar 1 tablespoon powdered sugar Add sugar to vinegar; when dissolved, pour over mint and let stand thirty minutes on back of range to infuse. If vinegar is very strong, dilute with water.
A classic English mint sauce for lamb, built on three ingredients and a half-hour steep. The only real variable is the strength of your vinegar.
- YieldMakes roughly three-quarters of a cup. It is meant as a sharp condiment spooned sparingly, not a pourable gravy.
- Vinegar strengthHousehold vinegar of the period was not standardised the way the 5 percent supermarket product is today and could be a good deal sharper, which is presumably why the recipe ends with a note about diluting. With modern cider or white wine vinegar you will likely need no water at all, though a tablespoon softens the edge if you prefer.
- "Back of range"The cool rear of a coal or wood range held a gentle warmth without simmering. Set the bowl near a pilot light, on a warming drawer, or simply in a warm spot in the kitchen. Do not boil it: heat above a bare simmer dulls the mint to a cooked, hay-like flavour.
- Powdered sugarHere this means finely ground sugar for quick dissolving, not the cornstarch-cut confectioners' sugar sold today. Superfine or caster sugar is the direct equivalent, and ordinary granulated will dissolve fine in vinegar given a stir.
- Chopping the mintChop the leaves with a sharp knife rather than bruising them in a machine, and do it just before use. Spearmint is the traditional variety; peppermint is too aggressive.
- KeepingThe acidity makes this keep a week or more refrigerated, but the bright green fades to olive within a day. Make it the morning you need it if appearance matters.