A Garden of Herbs: Menus : gourmet.com

Basil

“My favorite herb is basil. When I was living in the North of France, the owner of the pastry shop I worked in gave me a pistou soup, and I was shocked at how wonderful it was—it was my first encounter with the full flavor of basil.” —Michel Richard (Michel Richard Citronelle, Washington, DC)

RECIPES:
Heirloom Tomatoes with Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Basil
Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic Sauce (Soupe au Pistou)

Bay Leaf

“We grow our own fresh bay and use it in everything. We throw it into the water when we make shelled peas, white beans, and black-eyed peas. It adds a layer of richness and a soft, peppery flavor that you can’t get with dried leaves.” —Kelly Yambor (Elizabeth on 37th, Savannah)

RECIPES:
Cherry-Apricot Yogurt Sundaes
Grilled Herb Poussins
Maiale al Latte (Pork Roast Braised with Milk and Fresh Herbs)
Tuscan Beans

Cilantro

“Cilantro is my favorite. Just tear it slightly at the last second and place it on fresh-shucked oysters with a squeeze of lime juice. There’s no better oyster.” —Douglas Keane (Cyrus, Healdsburg, CA)

RECIPES:
Chicken and Cilantro Bites
Mexican Seafood Cocktail

Dill

“Dill is such a light herb, perfect for peas, ramps, morels—all the spring produce. I stew baby carrots and throw in the dill at the end to brighten them. And I refuse to eat egg salad without it.” —Bill Telepan (Telepan, New York City)

RECIPES:
Grilled Boneless Salmon Steaks with Horseradish Dill Butter
Stuffed Eggs with Goat Cheese and Dill

Fennel

“While I love the fleshy bulbs, I often like to use the delicate tops, or fronds (sadly, they are often discarded outright) to add an elegant garnish and subtle licorice flavor to citrus and berry desserts.” —Michael Laiskonis (Le Bernardin, New York City)

RECIPES:
Fennel Soup with Orange Crème Fraîche and Croutons
Fennel and Carrot Slaw with Olive Dressing

Lavender

“We make a roast chicken stuffed with fresh lavender, garlic, parsley, and butter. For our passion fruit lavender cookies, butter cookie dough is sprinkled with lavender buds and turbinado sugar, then sandwiched with a passion fruit cream.” —Malika Ameen and Mohammad Islam (Aigre Doux, Chicago)

RECIPE:
Five Herb Ice Milk

Lemon Verbena

“For years I’ve been intrigued with lemon verbena, a hearty herb that takes well to slow-cooking and releases vast amounts of flavor with very little coaxing. It works extremely well with lamb, baby goat, poultry, pork, and veal, but I enjoy the flavor of verbena most when it’s used with a gastrique-based sauce: Acidity in conjunction with a balance of sugar allows the verbena to almost bloom, without becoming overpowering.” —John Besh (Lüke and Restaurant August, New Orleans)

RECIPE:
Fruit in Lemon Verbena Syrup

Lovage

“I like the cold, piercing flavor of lovage in a sorbet, which is fantastic with seared rare scallops. I also like lovage as a very intense purée whipped into a crème fraîche—it’s a great accompaniment to meats like venison and langoustines.” —David Myers (Sona and comme ça, Los Angeles)

RECIPE:
Baby Greens with Roasted Beets and Potatoes

Kaffir Lime Leaf

“This is one of our three favorite herbs. We use it in a sweet-and-sour tamarind dressing for grilled fish or calamari. Kaffir lime leaf is also wonderful in glazes for baked goods: Infuse milk with kaffir lime and then mix with powdered sugar and a little lime juice; use the glaze on pound cake, lemon cake, or cookies.” —Malika Ameen and Mohammad Islam

RECIPE:
Penang Rice Salad (Nasi Kerabu)

Mint

“I truly love mint in all its varieties. Just placing tender mint leaves in a salad, or as a finishing touch in a tomato sauce, adds a distinctive, sharp freshness that elevates the other flavors without overpowering the palate.” —John Besh

RECIPES:
Chocolate-Covered Mint Ice Cream Terrine
Fried Plum Ravioli with Mint Cream
Frisée,Watercress, and Mint Salad

Shiso

“I love shiso. I add sesame seeds and sea salt, mix it with geoduck clams, and add a bit of lemon juice at the very last second. It makes the clams pop, and the flavor explodes in your mouth.” —David Myers

RECIPES:
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Shiso and Shallots
Shrimp and Daikon Salad with Ume-Shiso Dressing

Tarragon

“I love tarragon in chicken, with gherkins—it has the flavor of anise. It’s also wonderful with vinegar in salads.” —Michel Richard

RECIPES:
Plum Soup with Honeydew Tarragon Ice
Tarragon Lobster Salad

Thyme

“Among the ‘hard’ herbs, like rosemary and sage, thyme seems to work best in desserts. I think of it in the autumn months, when I'm working with apples, pears, pumpkins, and squashes. Last season, I introduced a light goat cheese mousse into a dessert of roasted cherries and red wine caramel, and a few tiny leaves of thyme really made the flavors pop.” —Michael Laiskonis

RECIPES:
Poached Apricots in Vanilla-Thyme Syrup With Crème Fraîche
Roasted-Tomato Tart
Scarborough Fair Shortbread

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