How do you chop tarragon

And if Italy owns basil, it is the French who have made tarragon their own. Sprigs of tarragon are often used to flavor white wine vinegar. Available year-round but best in the spring, tarragon should be fresh looking, not wilted, with a strong aroma and bright-green color. To preserve its flavor, add fresh tarragon near the end of cooking. Yes, sure, you can flail a chef's knife at a pile of herbs and get the leaves cut down to size.

But you risk bruising the herbs or—worse—throwing away some perfectly edible and majorly flavorful odds and ends.

So let's get to it, shall we? Actually, wait. Before we get to the chopping, there's some prep we need to do. Because you can't chop your herbs until they're washed and fully dry. This is crucial. Wet herbs—even slightly damp herbs—turn to mush when you chop them. So fill a clean sink with cold water and gently swish the herbs around in there.

Any dirt will fall to the bottom, and the herbs will float on top. But not quite. The simple sauce is made from melted butter, lemon juice, and zest, salt, white pepper, and chopped tarragon leaves. Ready in about 20 minutes, this easy to make dish is very satisfying.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension suggests broiling cod fillets with a tarragon-infused lemon-butter sauce. In this recipe, the fillets are topped with chopped tarragon leaves, lemon, salt, and pepper. Sesame seeds are sprinkled on top before baking for a slightly crunchy outer crust.

Related Reading: Growing French Tarragon. Tarragon-Thyme Salad Dressing. This simple dressing for a green salad, from a Hawaii master gardener, starts with the herbal vinegar described in the section above and adds fresh thyme, garlic, and salad oil. Roast Chicken with Tarragon Butter. This basic recipe from the Texas Cooperative Extension adds a distinctive flavor to classic roast chicken. Scroll down the page to reach the recipe. You could use tarragon alone or combine it with sage, thyme, marjoram, and basil.

This richly flavored quick vegetarian meal calls for fresh tarragon and lemon zest topping a mixture of chard, leeks, and cream. Bearnaise Sauce. This recipe from the Toronto Star makes a rich tarragon-flavored sauce which combines well with vegetables, beef, or fish. This Australian recipe features a sauce made with tarragon, cream, and wine poured over firm-fleshed fish, potatoes, and asparagus.

The Washington Post offers a cold poached salmon recipe with an elaborate tarragon dressing. The dressing includes creme fresh, dijon mustard, lemon, and of course a healthy amount of fresh tarragon leaves. While tarragon is most often used with vegetables and meats, its anise flavor can also pair well with fruits.