The French are known for their artful combinations of herbs with foods and sauces which bring out the perfection of the individual ingredients, making your palate come alive with the taste sensations you'll never find in a fast food burger.
Even a burger is dressed to the nines in France. There is a restaurant at the Louvre which serves a burger to die for ? a polite pleading of the waiter revealed the secret of its exquisite flavor to be attributable to ?ciboulette?, the common chive, in a mixture resembling thousand island dressing as the dressing for the bun. You must try this combination!
There are various classic savory herb blends in French cuisine with which you may already be familiar, including quatre epices, fines herbes and bouquet garni, each particularly suited to specific ingredients, bringing out the flavors to perfection.
Less well known, but equally superior, is the blend called herbs de Provence. As the name suggests, it consists of herbs native to the region of Provence, growing wild and carpeting the Provencal landscape. As with Italian cuisine, French cooking is typically regional, with dishes composed of fresh, in-season ingredients combined with local herbs. With wonderful coincidence, these foods and herbs combine divinely. Herbs de Provence is a formula which has been in use for hundreds of years and are signature to Provencal cuisine.
Although encompassed in a single name, recipes for herbs de Provence vary and substitute different herbs according to the cook's preference. However, all recipes for herbs de Provence include thyme, oregano, marjoram and rosemary. According to Madeleine Kamman, a modern master of French cooking, the four herbs of the fines herbes blend,chives, parsley, tarragon and chervil should also be included in your herbs de Provence recipe. Other herbs which may be included are lavender, mints, basil and fennel.
Ms. Kamman cautions the cook to not overwhelm your herbs de Provence with too much oregano or savory,as these stronger flavored herbs will then tend to dominate, losing the delicacy of a more balanced mix.
Herbs de Provence may be used to advantage in dishes with tomato, chicken, lamb, soups like bouillabaisse, stews, pizza, and fish, particularly trout. In fact, herbs de Provence will enhance most Mediterranean dishes.
If you don't feel confident enough to try a mixture of your own, you may wish to try some original French blends, which are available in beautiful small ceramic hand-painted jars filled with this highly aromatic mixture. When your jar of herbs de Provence is finished, or you feel you'd like to try your hand at your signature blend,just let your nose and imagination guide you to some delightful results.
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