Herbs in the Garden, on the Table and on your Plate - Smell and Taste the Freshness

Set your table with herbs for a surprisingly wonderful scent at dinner. Select a mix of your favorite aromatics and pair them with fuits, vegetables, flowers or let them stand alone. It adds such a fresh dimension to your tablescape. Now my herb garden is full of lush spearmint, peppermint, parsley, lavender, sage, chives, dill, tarragon, thyme, oregano and rosemary. Experiment with the different fresh flavors and cook with them for an added bonus to any recipe. I've listed a few of my many recipes using fresh herbs.

Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken

Crispy Crostini with Pesto

Dill Dijon Potato Salad

Potato and Parmesan Basil Gratin

Green Beans with Chives and Pancetta

Mixed Greens with Key Lime Pesto Vinaigrette

Smoky Gouda Grits with Chives & Barbecued Shrimp

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Bernaise Sauce

Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage

Crepes with Basil Mushroom Stuffing

Garlic Rosemary Bread

Grilled Slices of Baguette with Chive Butter

Island Grilled Pork Roast with Thyme Mustard Sauce

Spearmint Sweet Iced Tea

Herb Butter and Cheese

Herb butters add the full flavors of fresh herbs to dishes. Use on sandwiches, to add zest to meat, fish, and veggies, especially mushrooms, onions, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini. Make herb cheeses by substituting soft cheese for butter. To make herb butters beat four tablespoons of chopped, fresh herb into 8 oz. of soft butter until smooth. Beat in the juice of one lemon and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill. These can also be frozen for later use. Using the above recipe, I like to combine Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, parsley) with the basil. I beat in some olive oil, fresh, minced garlic, and parmesan cheese. This butter spread on Italian bread and grilled until lightly brown under the broiler makes a scrumptious garlic bread to accompany any meal.

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