Spring is busting out all over, and so too are the first hints at the green vegetables of the season – asparagus and green peas, balanced with leeks and fennel and fresh herbs. This delicious soup makes the most of all the lovely shades of green that are so evocative of spring, and best of all wastes nothing. It’s perfect for the early days of the farmers market or a spring CSA … [Read more...] about Green Spring Vegetable Soup
tarragon
Tarragon Mustard Velvet
Spring has always been a season of brunch for me. Easter, graduations, wedding showers. It’s a great way to entertain elegantly and with a little planning, pretty easy to do ahead. Center the affair around a ham with biscuits or rolls, a perfect platter of stuffed eggs, add some vegetables, a casserole (maybe this hash brown version) and a few indulgent treats and you … [Read more...] about Tarragon Mustard Velvet
Roasted Artichokes with Tarragon Vinaigrette
When I was a young teenager, my mother cooked some artichokes and sat my brother and I down for a lesson on how to eat them. Apparently, when she herself was a teen, she was invited home with a friend from her boarding school and served artichokes at an elegant dinner with the family. She had never seen one before and was a bit flummoxed, and embarrassed. She worked her way … [Read more...] about Roasted Artichokes with Tarragon Vinaigrette
Chicken with Cider and Tarragon
It’s possible I am jumping the gun a little bit here - but I am ready for fall, even if the temperature outside still says summer. Soups, stews and braises, rich flavors and hearty, comforting dishes. And in that spirit, I offer this perfectly autumnal chicken stew, redolent with crisp apple cider and herbaceous tarragon. This recipe takes a heavy cue from the cooking of … [Read more...] about Chicken with Cider and Tarragon
Creamy Chicken Tarragon Soup
Perhaps it is the cold and dreary winters, but the English have a way with soup. Restaurants and cafes serve an impressive roster, I’ve found some wonderful recipes in cookbooks and magazines and the grocery stores are stocked with lots of creative, seasonal soups in chiller cases ready to heat and serve. One such offering I see over and over again at stores and on menus is … [Read more...] about Creamy Chicken Tarragon Soup