TARRAGON PART 3

HERBED BATTER ROLLS

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sage, tarragon, nutmeg, sugar, salt, egg, butter or margarine and 1 cup of the flour. Using a wire whisk, beat until smooth. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups flour with a wooden spoon and beat until smooth. Scrape batter from sides of the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in volume. Deflate batter by Stirring with a wooden spoon.

Lightly grease one 8 cup muffin pan. Scoop batter into the prepared muffin pan. Fill each cup slightly more than 1/2 full; set aside in a warm place and let rise for about 15 to 20 minutes or until doubled. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.


LEMON TARRAGON CAKE

The surprise ingredient tarragon puts the 'wow' in this cake.

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant coconut cream pudding mix
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
1/3 cup lemon juice
4 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Crumble the dried tarragon into a fine powder and mix with the cake and pudding mixture. Make a well in the center and pour in lemon-lime soda, lemon juice, eggs and oil. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.



***Here are a couple Tarragon Vinegar recipes to make. Ive made this before and it keeps forever. I just put vinegar in a canning jar or nice bottle and add lots of tarragon to it. The tarragon keeps well in it too so you can use it in cooking if you wish. I let it sit in my pantry at least 6wks before I use it.

TARRAGON VINEGAR

Makes: 2.5 cups

2 1/2 cups white wine or cider vinegar
2 stems tarragon, plus extra for decoration (optional)
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved

Bring vinegar to boiling point in a pan. Put tarragon and garlic into a clean, sterilized bottle or jar. Pour over vinegar. Screw lid down tightly. Leave in a sunny place for 2-3 weeks. Strain, discarding herbs, into a clean, sterilized bottle or jar, adding extra tarragon stems for decoration if desired. Seal and store in a cool, dry, dark place.

TARRAGON VINEGAR II

You need:
Good quality white wine vinegar
Plenty of fresh tarragon leaves

Place plenty of fresh tarragon leaves, stripped from the stalks, into a wide-mouthed jar. Cover with good quality white wine vinegar, cover the jar lightly and leave on a warm window sill - or similar spot - for a couple of weeks. (I sometimes leave mine for months!)

Strain off the vinegar, pour into a pretty bottle with a few fresh sprigs of tarragon and you have a nice gift for a hostess or a useful addition to your own kitchen cupboard.f you are desperate, substitute a couple of tablespoons of good quality dried tarragon for the fresh leaves. Serving Suggestion: This will keep for ages in a dark cool place in the pantry.

LEMON-TARRAGON VINEGAR
4 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups tarragon, loosely packed crushed to release oils
2 lemons, peel of,pith removed

Combine vinegar and sugar in a heat and simmer till sugar is dissolved. Put into 2 quart glass jar. Add tarragon and lemon. I use the jars with a rubber seal. Close jar and store in dark cool place for 1-4 weeks. Give a shake every couple days. When desired strength is reached strain through layers of cheesecloth. Heat vinegar to 180 degrees. Ladle into hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace add fresh sprig of tarragon and lemon peel. Place 2 piece caps on. Process 10 minutes in boiling water canner. Nice to gift wrap and put into a fruit basket. This takes 1-4 weeks to infuse flavors. Can be doubled.

TARRAGON PART 2

SAUCE BEARNAISE

1 Tbsp. shallots, chopped
1 sprig of thyme
½ bay leaf
3 Tbsp. tarragon, chopped
2 Tbsp. chervil, chopped
salt and pepper
¼ cup each vinegar and red wine
2 eggs, beaten lightly with 1 Tbsp. water
¼ cup butter, cut into 1 cm. pieces
1½ tsp. lemon juice (optional) pinch of hot paprika (optional)

In an enamel saucepan combine the shallots, thyme, bay leaf, 2 Tbsp. of the tarragon and 1 Tbsp. of the chervil. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper, pour over the vinegar and wine and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until reduced by two-thirds. Let cool.

To the saucepan add the eggs and, over a low flame, beat until the eggs begin to thicken. Immediately begin to add the butter, in small pieces, whisking constantly. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper and, if desired, lemon juice and hot paprika. Strain the sauce and add the remaining tarragon and chervil. Use at once or keep warm in a double boiler.
***This is the classic sauce that is great on grilled steaks or salmon or vegetables.

TARRAGON LOBSTER SALAD

This lobster salad is wonderful on its own—but piled onto a hot dog bun it becomes a perfect lobster roll.

4 (1 1/2-lb) live lobsters
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot (1 large)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
Accompaniment (optional): hot dog buns (preferably top-split), buttered and grilled or toasted if desired

Plunge 2 live lobsters headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water. Loosely cover pot and cook lobsters over moderately high heat 9 minutes from time they enter water, then transfer with tongs to sink to cool. Return water to a boil and cook remaining 2 lobsters in same manner.

While lobsters are cooking, combine shallot, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

When lobsters are cool, remove meat from claws, joints, and tails. Discard tomalley, any roe, and shells (or save for another use). Cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces.

Whisk mayonnaise, tarragon, and 1/4teaspoon black pepper into shallot mixture. Add lobster meat and toss gently to coat. Makes 4-6 servings.
Cooks' notes: • Lobsters may be cooked and shelled 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. • Lobster salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.


TARRAGON LEMONADE

Give it a try with other summer herbs, too, like fresh mint.

10 cups water
2 1/4 cups sugar
17 tarragon sprigs
6 cups fresh lemon juice, strained (from about 40 lemons), plus 12 thin lemon slices for garnish
Salt
Ice

In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of water with the sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer over moderately high heat until reduced to 3 1/4 cups, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 5 of the tarragon sprigs. Let stand, stirring often, until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Discard the tarragon sprigs. In a large glass pitcher, combine the remaining 6 cups of water with the tarragon syrup and fresh lemon juice. Add a pinch of salt, stirring until it dissolves. Serve the tarragon lemonade over ice, garnished with the lemon slices and the remaining 12 tarragon sprigs. Serves 12. ***While this recipe would probably require you to have lots of lemons on hand why not just make the syrup and add it to bottled lemon juice.


HERBED GORGONZOLA CHEESECAKE

Serve this herbed cheesecakes like a cheese ball at your next party. Great for tailgate parties, picnics, and family gatherings. Suitable for a large crowd.

Crust:
2 cups crackers, crushed
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
4 packages (each 8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp dried onion flakes
8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F./160 degrees C. Prepare pan: 6-inch (15 cm) cheesecake or springform pan with 3-inch (7.5 cm) sides, lined with parchment paper.

Crust: In medium bowl, combine crushed crackers and butter. Press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze.

Filling: In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in lemon juice, salt, tarragon, dill, and onion flakes. With a rubber spatula, fold in Gorgonzola cheese. Pour batter over frozen crust. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 65 minutes or until the top is light brown and the center has a slight jiggle to it. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving. Serve warm or cold with crackers or party toasts. To serve warm as an appetizer, wrap the cheesecake in foil and place in a preheated 350-degrees F. (180 degrees C.) oven for 10 minutes to heat through. Do not microwave; it will toughen the cheesecake.

Tips: Use your favorite salted or unsalted crackers for the crust.
Variation: If substituting dried herbs, use half of what the recipe calls for. Yield: 18 to 20 servings


HERB DRESSING

Tarragon, chervil, parsley, and watercress flavor a creamy dressing based on sour cream and mayonnaise. Use as a topping for stuffed eggs or salad greens.
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon)
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chervil
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoon finely chopped watercress
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine tarragon, chervil, parsley, watercress, and garlic in a mixing bowl, add the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste, and blend thoroughly. Makes about 1-1/4 cups of dressing . Yield: 6 servings

TARRAGON PART 1

Tarragon is called the "King of Herbs" by the French, and with good reason. It is the main flavoring in many of the sauces that form the foundation of classic French cuisine, such as Bearnaise, rigavote and tartare. When paired with chopped sprigs of fresh parsley, chives, and chervil, you have the traditional seasoning blend known as fines herbs. This aromatic blend enhances the flavors of egg, chicken and fish dishes, and is also used as a basis for salad dressings. When using tarragon in cooked dishes, it is best to add it at the end, as heat tends to decrease its flavor. Unlike most of the other herbs, tarragon loses the potency of its flavor when dried. This may be one reason it is so frequently preserved in vinegar, which captures tarragon's essence and creates a tasty condiment that can be used in dressings, mayonnaise and as a zesty deglazing alternative to wine.

French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) is the variety most often used in recipes. Its flavor is sweeter and its leaves are more delicate than its relative Russian tarragon, (Artemesia dracunculoides), which tends to have coarser, paler leaves and a bitter, inferior flavor. Unfortunately, whereas the Russian variety spreads and reproduces easily, French tarragon cannot be propagated by seed but must be cultivated by cuttings and root divisions. For a healthy plant, it requires rich, well drained soil and full sun.

The true French Tarragon has the best flavor and cannot be grown from seeds as this plant will not flower. Cuttings must be taken in order to reproduce this plant which makes it more expensive and harder to find. Tarragon grows in full sun and will grow to about 2 feet or so across. It is most important that this plant have good drainage and it is a good idea to add sand or grow it in a large container to make sure the roots will not rot and die. It is perennial but you should try to bring it indoors, either a potted plant or take cuttings, to grow over the winter months as it sometimes does not come back the following spring because of wet soil.

To harvest Tarragon, remove a third of the branch and chop the leaves finely. Tarragon does not dry very well so freezing is the best method to preserve the flavor.

To use Tarragon in cooking, chop the leaves very fine to extract the flavor for cream sauces and Bearnaise sauce. Add it to tuna or chicken salads, eggs and quiches, mayonnaise's, and mustard salad dressings. It makes a wonderful flavored butter and can be combined with dill and parsley for fish.

*It is said you cannot dry it well but I get some from a health food store that sells dried herbs and the one I get is wonderful and keeps well. So if you can do that too ....test it. Perhaps home dried is not as good but larger places have quicker ways to dry than we do.

WHITE BEAN AND TARRAGON SOUP serves 4

8 ounces Great Northern white beans
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 small fennel bulb, diced, about one cup
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 cloves garlic, minced
7 cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
3 Tablespoons thinly sliced ham, julienned
salt and pepper to taste

Sort through the beans to remove rocks and other items. Put in a container and cover with four inches of water. Soak overnight. Drain off the water.

In a stainless steel pot heat the olive oil. Saute the onion and the fennel until golden. Add the grated lemon peel and the garlic. Cook for one minute to release the flavors. Add the stock, cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the beans until soft, about one hour. Stir in the tarragon, reserving 1/2 teaspoon to use for garnish. Add the ham, stirring to blend all flavors. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into decorative soup bowls and garnish with the remaining tarragon.