Anyone got a favorite recipe that they use to make their own?
I have mint , tarragon, thyme, oregano, rosemary, Lavender ( if you include this are you just using the flower? )… I’ll be heading to farmers markets to try and source other herbs to use, when the season starts shutting down.
Is parsley ever used in it?
Best Paul
No, I don’t have a recipe; I tend to use a pre-mixed blend (Spice islands or other). I often add lavender buds when I think the dish can use more lavender.
I buy the one from Penzey’s. Their ingredients list is: Hand-mixed from: rosemary, cracked fennel, thyme, savory, basil, tarragon, dill weed, Turkish oregano, lavender, chervil and marjoram.
Laurent Tourondel has numerous examples in his BLT cookbook. Here is one that is really outstanding:
2 whole roasting chickens, 3 1/2 lbs each
1 cup sugar
1 cup salt
2 bay leaves
8 warm cups water
2 celery sticks
2 cloves garlic
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons herbes de provence
Put sugar, salt, bay leaves and water in a large non-reactive container and stir until fully combined. Allow the brine to fully cool and the place the chickens in the covered container and refrigerate overnight.
Remove chickens and pat dry. Stuff the chickens with the celery, garlic and thyme. Truss the chickens, season with salt and pepper and brush with the melted butter.
Place chickens on a roasting dish and put in an oven preheated to 375 degrees. Cook for 15 minutes and then lower the heat to 325 degrees. Baste frequently for 45 minutes or until the juices of the chicken run clear when the thigh of the chicken is pierced with a knife. During the last 15 minutes of the cooking process add the herbes de provence to the basting juices to add flavor to the basting juices.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes. Using a large knife cut chickens in half down the middle. Serve immediately with watercress.
I use almost zero pre-mixed spice/herb mixes. The one exception I make is the herbs de provence blend from williams sonoma.
Latest great dish I have made is using it on a slow roasted pork butt.
I frequently add the “Spice Islands” HdP mix to chicken and fish before roasting or grilling.
We have a great local spice shop that makes a really nice HdP. $10 buys you a very large ziploc bag. Great stuff, use very liberally on roast chicken. I stuff the chicken with lemon and fresh tarragon great stuff.
GH
Interesting list (and question), although I do not recognize some of the herbs are being usually in a HdP mix.
The base for the taste is thyme, that is for sure, followed by rosemary and oregano. Wild thyme and savory are used in large quantities (maybe because they are cheaper) and are usually added to the mix for their digestive virtues.
Then in a 2nd group of herbs, which are used less often, one could add: marjoram, basil, fennel, salvia, tarragon, chervil and laurel.
Lavender is apparently used only in the US, not in France. I have never heard of mint or parsley being added to the mix.
HdP is used traditionally used for bbq (and grilling in general), also when preparing roasted chicken and so on. I also use them (or only oregano, depends) on my pizzas or pasta dishes.
Given your location I wouldn’t question that, but when I vacationed in the south of Rhone, many, if not most of the HdP blends at the village markets had lavender (definitely not the dominant herb in the blend, but it was there). Were those mainly for tourists, or does the blend change seasonally? We were there in June.
Honestly I wouldn’t know, since I don’t buy my herbs at a local market. I can imagine they sell mixes with lavender but I’d say most people in France either buy HdP at the supermarket (dried) or do their own mix from the garden (it’s really not hard to have at least a bit of rosemary and thyme, even on a balcony in a flat). What is for sure is that I’ve never had HdP with lavender in my life.
Savory…
I have never grown Savory, so I had to look it up. Here is a bit of a explanation. So it appears Thyme/Mint is in the description of its flavor profile.
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Paul
Paul,
I can imagine it is added because of similarities with thyme and rosemary. I don’t think the mint flavor is particularly strong, at least I’ve never really detected it in usual HdP mixes. You might be able to achieve the same taste with a lot of thyme and only a little bit of mint.
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Paul,
I see no reason to premix HdP. If you would ordinarily have the basic herbs in your pantry, you can blend whatever ratio you desire when you need them. Having a premixed batch only risks having the quality decay before you use it all. You can assure better quality by letting each batch of herbs get used up as quickly as possible, either singly or in any desired combination.
I have a distinct advantage here in S. CA. I have thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, lavender, sage, chives, pretty much all year round in the garden. Basil tends to die back, but I keep basil puree (in EVOO) in the freezer.
Regarding lavender, I just snip the flowers / buds and dry them, or use them fresh. I have tasted the leaves, but have decided I do not want to use them in cooking.
Bernie,
Let me know when you are back in O…
Thanks for the in-put!!
Paul