Tuesday 25 February 2020

Peach, Mint and Cucumber Mocktail

Hands up those who've read any of Mark Kurlansky's books?  He is an American journalist and food historian, some of his bestsellers being Cod, Salt, and his forthcoming Salmon.  And he has also written a book called International Night, with his then-teenaged daughter Talia.  Once a week a globe was spun, a country was chosen, and they made meals from that country's cuisine together.



fruity mocktail
       
One of the countries they actually travelled to (to do a cooking class, no less!) was Morocco.  They stayed at La Maison Arabe (as you do), and drank delicious mocktails at the bar.  Hilariously, since I (accidentally) looked up this riad/hotel in search of a recipe for this drink, I have been bombarded with emails from Trip Advisor asking me how my planning is going for my trip to Marrakech!!  


fruity and refreshing

Rashid the bar tender there, made/makes a drink called Morojito, which consists of pineapple juice, mint syrup, lime, and ginger.  This is NOT that drink :-)  Mark and Talia mention how much she liked Rashid's mocktails, including one with peaches, cucumber, mint syrup and coconut cream.  They were the only clues I had to this drink, so here is my version of what it may taste like.  You're welcome, my friends.  (And maybe tip in a splash of vodka when nobody's looking.)


Original recipe: Sherry's Pickings

Serves 4-6


ingredients:


1/2 cup (125 mLs) water

1/2 cup (125g.) caster sugar

a small handful of fresh mint leaves

1/2 kilo (1.1 lb) peaches or nectarines, cut into large chunks

150g. (5.3 oz) Continental cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 cup (125 mLs) coconut cream

sparkling mineral water, to serve
  

Method:


First make the syrup by putting the water and sugar into a small saucepan on a medium-low heat.  Stir till the sugar dissolves, then let it simmer for a few minutes.  Throw in the mint leaves, and put aside to cool

Now take the peaches, and cut them into large chunks

Peel and chop the cucumber into big chunks, too

Tip the fruit (yes, cucumber is a fruit) into a large food processor or a really big, powerful blender - and whizz - a lot!  Keep whizzing and whizzing till you have a very smooth fruity purée

Now pour in 100 mLs (3.5 oz) of the mint syrup (which you have strained thru a sieve to get rid of the leaves), and all the coconut cream

Whizz again!  

Grab a large jug, pour the mixture into it, then place in the fridge for a couple of hours.  Serve by filling a glass with about 2/3 purée, and adding a really big splash (or several) of sparkling mineral water - it will fizz up most delightfully.  Lie back, and picture yourself by the pool in downtown Marrakech ...

Makes about 800 mLs/27 fl oz of purée



simmer the minty syrup for a few minutes


chop up your peaches or nectarines 


and the cucumber


whizz and whizz... till smooth and airy


all ready for the sparkling mineral water 


and drink - oops! forgot the mineral water

You probably know that peaches and nectarines are the same fruit (Prunus Persica) - except for one recessive gene which makes nectarines smooth rather than hairy.  So either fruit is good for this recipe.  Mm, perhaps a bald fruit would be better - tee hee:-)  You can keep the extra syrup in the fridge for several days, or just add it to the mineral water for a minty beverage. 




artwork © Sherry's Pickings



Riad Leila - Wikimedia Commons public domain Author Stephen Johnston

32 comments:

  1. If you didn't say it's a mocktail, I would probably take it as a smoothie LOL! I love this refreshing combo of summer flavours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i guess you're right angie. it is like a smoothie but when you add the sparkling mineral water, it goes all frothy and fizzy - delicious!

      Delete
  2. Hi Sherry,
    Too bad the blended fruits seem to have such a murky color, but the drink sounds good. I wish we had peaches and nectarines now.

    I've read many of Kurlansky's books. I think he started off very strong -- the books Salt, Cod, and A Basque History of the World were really good and became a model for other writers. His last few books seemed much less well-written -- as if he became too confident or too lazy. There were many repetitions (as if he cut and pasted the same few paragraphs here and there) and the insights just didn't seem to be as penetrating. Sad, I think. Maybe the new one that you read is an improvement.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi Mae
      i'm looking forward to Salmon when it comes out next month. The drink actually looks quite nice in real life:) it's just a bit murky in the photos...

      Delete
  3. Looks like a very thick smoothie cocktail. I love that idea of spinning a globe and making the food from that country. We tried that a couple of times but got some rather obscure places.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ooh yes an obscure place would be fabulous! i must give it a go...

      Delete
  4. That sounds like a wonderful blend of flavor (although it looks a little odd!) I don't nkow Kurlansky. He might be interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. if you like food history, his books are great jeanie. the colour of the purée is nice in real life tho!:)

      Delete
  5. I have one of his books that has spent a long time on the to read list - maybe one day - but I like the idea of international night and your mocktail sounds lovely

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks johanna. if you like food history, his books are worth a read.

      Delete
  6. Well, now it sounds like you have no choice but to visit Marahesh, or the internet will not stop hounding you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. very true Jeff. i'd better start packing now ... :-)

      Delete
  7. Sounds like a delicious "mocktail". I am into food history but have not heard of him :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks judi. i particularly liked Cod; such an interesting book.

      Delete
  8. This looks nice and refreshing! And has a LOT of flavor, which too many mocktails don't have. Good job with this -- thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh yum, Sherry! This looks so delicious and refreshing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. So fresh and good. I can't wait until peach season! I did enjoy his book about cod-very good. My daughter read it in college and then gave it to me! I would expect "Salmon" to be a good read, too! Thanks Sherry!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I need to make this now. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Don't you love how your computer 'spies' on you! I have never heard of Mark Kurlansky - will look him up when I next need a book to read :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yep it's funny. i got another email today saying we haven't given up on you and your trip to marrakech!:-)

      Delete
  13. Hola, Jerez. Por aquí a los duraznos les llamamos melocotones, y suelen ser muy ricos los de esta zona, así que es cuestión de esperar a que llegue la temporada y probar a hacer esta apetitosa y refrescante bebida.
    Un cordial saludo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hola manuel. nice to have you drop by my blog. i just wish i could read your comment:-) I'm guessing it's sopmething about the difference between peaches and nectarines... And that this is a refreshing drink?

      Delete
  14. I love Kurlansky, but didn’t know about Salmon! This mocktail sounds wonderful and refreshing! And maybe a little something could be added to make it less mocked!

    ReplyDelete
  15. His new book sounds very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  16. TripAdvisor is the worst about those emails! I've totally looked something up like that and then get emails for the next week with "suggestions." No, thank you! However, I will take your suggestion and go with this mocktail. I love peaches, and I usually buy way more than necessary when they're in season. This sounds like a great drink for the back porch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i had another email today asking how my planning for marrakech was going? and only 259 pounds per night! tee hee.

      Delete

I would love to hear from you. Please leave your comment and I will reply as soon as I can. If you have problems commenting, please try without your WordPress profile. You can try Anonymous (add your name in the text) or your Google account if you have one.