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Tarragon
Tarragon (Asteraceae Artemisia dracunculus) makes a great companion plant for gardens. The scent and taste of tarragon is disliked by many garden pests, and it does a good job of repelling them naturally. It is also reputed to be a nurse plant — a plant which enhances growth and flavor of companion crops. While Russian Tarragon is easier to grow than French Tarragon because it is hardier, more vigorous and can be grown from seed, it is also much milder in flavor and for this reason it is rarely grown as a culinary herb. For French Tarragon, it is better to purchase plant starts or root cuttings.
Tarragon is one of the four fines herbes used in French cooking, along with parsley, chives and chervil. Tarragon’s delicate flavor is particularly well-suited for chicken, fish, and egg dishes. In fact, tarragon is one of the main components of Béarnaise sauce. But it also is a delightfully delicate flavor-surprise when paired with citrus, in a citrus salad, in an orange-tarragon sauce over salmon, and in this ambrosial sorbet.
Grapefruit Tarragon Sorbet
(Adapted from Gourmet)
2 cups grapefruit juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp dried tarragon, crumbled
Bring sugar, water and dried Tarragon to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved allow it to simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and whisk in grapefruit juice. Churn in an ice cream maker. Once complete, transfer sorbet into an airtight container place in the freezer to harden even more.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, place in an airtight container in the freezer. Allow to chill, stirring every 30 minutes. It will take roughly 2 hours until the consistency gets thick. Keep in an airtight container.
Will keep 1 week in freezer.
More posts by Brittany Rowles »
Author: Brittany Rowles
Brittany Rowles has been cultivating gardens all over the San Francisco area for the past 5 years. She has worked on numerous community gardens--including design, implementation and maintenance--in many micro-climates around the city. She also has experience working in small spaces, growing her own food in a rooftop container garden. While she loves to garden, Brittany finds the most pleasure in cooking and sharing her harvests with family, friends, and the community.
