To increase the depth of flavour in your cooking, use fresh herbs whenever you can.
Most of us tend to use the same herbs in our cooking. It’s often out of habit but also because herbs are a collection of our favourite essential oils. Fresh herbs are the measure of a professional kitchen, and you treat them with care to preserve their freshness. Otherwise, chefs who are looking to add depth of flavour to a sauce will resort to adding a generous pinch of khaki-coloured powder from a dusty herb container on the dried-goods shelf. Some domestic kitchens are the same.
Some years ago I was passionate about chervil, and used it whenever I could. The gentle aniseed flavour was great in salads and the feathery leaves provided a pretty garnish for other dishes. The four musketeers of French food, “les fines herbes”, are chervil, french tarragon, chives and parsley. They are perfect with omelettes, vegetables, grilled steak or chicken, but because of their delicacy, they should be added toward the end of the cooking.
Confusingly, there are two tarragons: the coarse and bitter-tasting russian tarragon, and the french tarragon, which has a refreshing and refined aniseed flavour and is perfect in chicken dishes and salads or with young vegetables. Tarragon is also the principal ingredient in béarnaise sauce, which is the best sauce for grilled steak.
Chives have a delicate and distinctive onion flavour and are perfect in dishes containing eggs and cream. They are also a great alternative to parsley.
Parsley is surely the most popular herb, yet it is most commonly used as a chopped garnish. Its stalks taste as good as the leaves. The classic “bouquet garni” is a combination of parsley, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns.
More robust are the “herbes de Provence”, which comprise bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and savoury. They can be used in stews and soups as well as sweet dishes, and should be added at the start and cooked slowly. Thyme, probably the most powerful herb of all, is used enthusiastically in French cooking and can be added to fish dishes, vegetables and casseroles. Bay, with its scents of lemon and spice, makes a wonderful ice-cream flavouring.
I hope you feel inspired to experiment with a wide range of ingredients that will provide an increased depth of flavour to your cooking. Try to use fresh herbs whenever possible, as the flavour of dried ones can be quite aggressive. If using dried herbs, halve the amount of the specified fresh ingredients.
CHICKEN WITH TARRAGON AND GREEN BEANS
4 chicken breasts, skin on
100g unsalted butter
4 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
green beans
olive oil
3 tbsp white wine
300ml cream
1 lemon, squeezed
Heat the oven to 180?C. Gently slide your fingers under the skin of each chicken breast to create a pocket. Mix 50g of butter with 2 tablespoons of chopped tarragon leaves and then use a teaspoon to push this mixture into each pocket. Gently pat the skin back down and set the breasts aside. Melt the remaining butter in an ovenproof frying pan over a moderate heat and lightly brown the chicken, watching to ensure the butter doesn’t burn. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. To check the chicken is cooked, pierce the meat with a sharp knife and check the juices are running clear.
While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil and cook the beans until tender. Drain, then toss the beans in a bowl with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.
Set the chicken aside and place the pan back over a low heat. Add the wine and then bring to the boil, scraping any loose bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes or until the wine has reduced by about a third before adding the cream and bringing it to a mildly bubbling simmer. Add the remaining tarragon, the lemon juice, salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little water. Slice the chicken to show off the tarragon between the skin and breast meat. Arrange the beans on a serving platter with the chicken. Pour over the sauce and serve.
Serves 4.
SAVOURY HERB TARTS
SHORTCRUST PASTRY
3 cups flour
2 tsp salt
250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
150ml ice-cold water
FILLING
4 egg yolks
400ml cream
4 tbsp fines herbes, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
Mix the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and blend until it resembles fine sand. Add the cold water and blend until it forms a ball. Remove the pastry, cover it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Grease 4 x 10cm fluted flan rings. Lightly dust the bench with flour. Roll the pastry out to a thickness of no more than 3-5mm. Line the rings with pastry, pressing it into the bottom and leaving a decent 1cm overhang to allow for shrinkage as the pastry cooks. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180?C. Place a piece of greaseproof paper in each pastry shell and weight it with baking blind material such as rice or beans. Bake for 12 minutes until the pastry is firm, then remove the beans and paper and return the rings to the oven for 5 minutes to dry. Cool the pastry shells in the rings, then trim the edges evenly with a serrated knife. Mix the egg yolks, cream, herbs and salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the pastry shells and bake for 20 minutes until set. The filling will make enough for 4 tarts. Leftover pastry can be frozen.
Serves 4.
HERB OMELETTE WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE
3 eggs
1 tsp each of chopped tarragon, chervil
and chives
1 tbsp cream (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp oil
Place a small frying or omelette pan over a medium heat. In a small bowl, mix the eggs, herbs, cream and salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pan and pour in the egg mixture, whisking lightly with a fork as you do. Keep mixing until the omelette starts to set. Before the centre has cooked through, carefully fold in half, pressing gently to seal the edges. Slide the omelette onto a plate and serve with fresh tomato sauce.
Serves 1.
FRESH TOMATO SAUCE
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 medium ripe tomatoes, skinned
and roughly chopped
2 basil leaves, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sugar
Place the oil and garlic in a deep pot and cook over a medium heat until the garlic softens – about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes, breaking them up as they cook. The sauce should be relatively smooth. Add the basil, salt and pepper and sweeten slightly with a touch of sugar.