Enjoying Summer with Mojitos and Grilled Peaches

For me, the sweetness of grilled peaches and the minty lime of mojitos go hand in hand with summer time.  Certain foods and flavors go perfectly with summer and these two are usual suspects.  Peaches bring to the table their simple, honest sweetness and a texture that is fun to enjoy, be it crunchy or soft.  And mojitos take even the hottest summer day and make it cool without dimming the sun one bit; besides, they work their magic in the night time too!

Throughout the summer, Nicole and I have wanted to make mojitos at home.  After looking at several recipes, we found a great online at Taste Of Cuba and modified it to make it our own.  Their recipe called for powdered sugar which I thought was brilliant.  But we wanted more sweetness, though, and worked out a substitution for simple syrup.  We also got rid of the mint sprig used to decorate the glass.  With this recession, we figured we were doing ourselves a favor by mixing it in instead.

M&N’s Cuban Mojito

4 to 5 mint leaves, washed

Juice from 1 lime (about 1 to 2 ounces)

1 Ounce simple syrup (more or less to taste)

2.5 Ounces Bacardi Superior or other white Rum

2 Ounces Sprite Zero, club soda, or other lemon-lime soda

Ice cubes

1. Add the mint leaves, lime juice, and simple syrup to a tall glass.  With the end of a wooden spoon, gently mash (aka muddle) the leaves with the juice and syrup.
2. Add ice to the glass and then add the rum.  Stir to mix the rum with the mint-lime-syrup mixture.
3. Top off the glass with soda.

To give your mojito a bit of an extra kick, add a splash of dark rum after the soda.  To make a more savory version, add a couple basil leaves in along with the mint!

Grilled Peaches

Not too much of a recipe here.  Just heat the grill, slice up those peaches, and get cookin!  I like to slice the peaches from the sides of the pit to form circular disks.  On a hot, lightly oiled grill, each side of the peach should cook for about one minute.  The fruit will become softer the more it cooks; but it will also become sweeter.  Find the “sweet spot” for your grilling technique!  Finally, serve them hot with a light dusting of granulated sugar.