With so many good herbs perennial and bug free (except for basil, which some kind of beetle is enthralled with), it’s rather foolish not to have your own herb garden. They take up little space — for sheerly practical purposes one good healthy plant is usually more than enough per family — and they make decorative borders and tufts in stone or brick walkways.
I don't know if herbs have ever before crossed national boundaries in such a massive immigration as they are invading American cookery of the ’80s. Dill used to be Scandinavian; oregano Italian, and the less common anise-flavored tarragon, strictly French. The English were sage; Mexican, coriander, and I don’t know what we were — parsley, maybe. Now they’ve come to an enthusiastic melting pot and American cookery really sings with all these different accents.
A timely book has come my way that explores in depth the origins, lore, and uses of culinary herbs and spices, “Season to Taste,” by Jeannette Ferrary and Louise Fiszer (Simon and Schuster). My herbs reached maturity early this year — everything’s flowering or going to seed already — and if you are smart you are thriftily putting these by for the winter when fresh herbs become hard to find, although not so hard as in the past.
Quick-Drying Fresh Herbs
I feel a bit like Lewis and Clark every time I discover something new about my microwave. One of the things it does better than any other method is dry herbs. Pick herbs after the dew dries in the morning. Surely you have not sprayed them with any? thing that requires washing off, so just shake them well.
Place them in a single layer on a sheet of paper towel. Cover with another sheet of paper towel. Place on the floor of the microwave and cook at highest power — usually ten — for about one minute.
If the leaves and stems are not crisp and dry (this will vary with the effusion of your plant and how much you try to get into one shot in the oven), microwave in 30-second increments, until the herbs are completely crisp and dry but still whole. One large batch of tarragon I did took four whole minutes, but I recommend caution and smaller amounts to be on the safe side of over-microwaving, which will turn the herbs to dust.
Putting Herbs To Use
Should your garden be busting out all over with fresh garden herbs, here are a few suggestions for using them from Ferrary and Fiszer’s herb and spice book, "Season to Taste."
Sea Bass Baked in Leeks and Cream
6 large sea bass fillets (about 6-8 oz. ea.)
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves
1 cup dry white wine
3 Tbsp. butter 3 leeks (white part only), thinly sliced
1/2 cup heavy cream (or crème fraiche)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blot fish dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in buttered baking dish, sprinkle with tarragon, and add wine. Cover with foil and bake ten minutes.
Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat butter. Saute leeks about five minutes, or until almost tender. Carefully pour the liquid surrounding the fish into the skillet containing the leeks. Add cream and cook at medium until reduced by half. Spread leek mixture over fish, return to oven, and bake another ten minutes, or until top is bubbly. Serves six.
Thymed Cheese and Fresh Tomato Sandwiches
Yield: Four sandwiches
1/2 lb. fresh cream cheese, preferably natural type without preservatives
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
2 green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
8 slices rosemary garlic bread (see note), lightly toasted
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese with yogurt, green onions, thyme, salt, and pepper until creamy. Cover and refrigerate 24 to 48 hours to allow flavors to develop.
Bring cheese mixture to room temperature, then spread on four slices of bread. Add tomato slices and top with remaining slices of bread.
Shortcut Rosemary Toast
Select eight matching slices of good, firm, home-style white bread. Press two garlic cloves through garlic press into two tablespoons of softened butter. Mix in one tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves. Toast one side of the bread, then spread the other side of each slice with the rosemary, garlic, and butter mixture and toast this side.
The original tomato and cream cheese sandwich recipe calls for a homemade rosemary and garlic loaf, but I think it’s a little on the hot side these days for bread baking.
