Herbs That Play Well With Desserts
The Herb Companion ~ March 2006 Issue
www.herbcompanion.com
Angelica
These stems have a slightly woody, bitter, resinous flavor with
a hint of fruit, and usually are candied for a garnish to decorate desserts; the
aromatic leaves are good chopped for fruit salads, with citrus and rhubarb.
Basil
Lemon and cinnamon basil add a citrus or cinnamon flavor to
summer fruit salads, sorbets and pear conserves. Genoa green and spice basil
work well with citrus and tomato in preserves.
Bay
A fresh leaf lends citrus and balsam-like flavor with a hint of vanilla and
nutmeg to custards, baked fruit and sweet bread dough with dried fruits.
Bergamot
A favorite herb for the stone fruits of summer, like apricots, peaches and
plums, as well as apples and berries; this herb has a perfumed, tea-like flavor.
Use in fruit salads, in stewed or poached fruit, and in making jellies or
preserves. The red flower blossoms are a tasty garnish with the same perfume.
Borage
The delicate star-shaped flowers, with their clean cucumber taste, are used
fresh and candied for garnishing desserts, punches and wine.
Chervil
This mild, anise-flavored herb with a hint of citrus is best used fresh with
mild-flavored fruits, such as melons, apricots, plums, peaches, papaya, kiwi and
fruit salads.
Coriander
The nutty and highly citrus-flavored seed is used in baked goods, with
apples, bananas, pears, cherries, apricots and peaches. The cilantro leaf, which
has a grassy and resinous taste with a hint of citrus, goes best with citrus
fruits, and complements coconut and pomegranate.
Fennel
This anise-flavored seed can be baked in fruit desserts made with apples,
pears and rhubarb. The sweet, feathery leaves can be used with fresh fruit.
Geraniums
These distinct and unique leaves range in fragrance and flavor from rose and
nutmeg to lemon and peppermint. They are used to flavor cakes, tarts and jellies
made with apricots, every type of berry, currants and apples, and in citrus
sorbets. The leaves and flowers make fragrant garnishes.
Lavender
Use only the blossoms in the kitchen - do not use the foliage of this highly
perfumed, flowery herb. It goes well with raspberries, blueberries,
blackberries, currants and peaches. Its flavor is more delicate when used with
dairy products, such as in cream sauces, custards and ice creams.
Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena
Both of these highly aromatic, lemon-flavored herbs add sweet and citrus
tastes to desserts. Verbena is stronger in citrus oil and therefore has more
concentrated flavor than balm, so adjust accordingly in a recipe. Use in
custards, pies, cakes and jellies. Chopped fresh, it is good in fruit salads,
sorbets and berry fools.
Mint
There are many mints - apple, orange, pineapple, spearmint and peppermint -
all culinary favorites. Choose peppermint if you want more menthol, spearmint if
you prefer it sweeter, and orange mint if you want the flavor of Earl Grey tea.
Mint is good with any fruit, and is a good companion to all of the berries,
grapes, melons, peaches and plums. It adds a refreshing tingle to fruit salads,
sorbets, pies, fools and jellies. It also works well when baked with apples and
pears.
Rose
The unmistakable perfume of roses can lend an exotic quality to desserts,
however no two roses taste alike and some are downright bitter or sour, so be
sure to taste before using. Rose petals, rosehips and rosewater are used in
making candy, cookies, syrups, jellies and frostings; they should be used with
mild-flavored or citrus fruits in order to savor their delicate scent.
Rosemary
Since this herb has such a strong resinous and piney flavor, it should not be
used with mild-tasting fruits. It is an herb that is great with red wine - use
it for poaching or macerating apples, pears, oranges, cranberries and dried
fruits. It adds good flavor to mulled wine, tea and cider.
Sage
Use cold-weather fruits like apples and pears with this earthy, musky,
slightly camphorus-tasting herb - stewed, in a sauce of fritters, or baked in
bread or cake.
Sweet Cicely
The leaves and flowers of this anise-flavored herb are best used fresh in
fruit salads, although they are also good stewed with pears or apples.
Sweet Woodruff
This traditional herb of spring goes best with seasonal fruits - strawberries
and rhubarb. Its delicate scent of hay-and-vanilla goes well with most berries
and is delicious used in infusions and macerations with white and sparkling
wines. The tiny white blossoms are a lovely garnish on desserts and in the punch
bowl.
Thyme
This well-rounded herb has a flavor that is sweet and savory and is tasty
with apples and pears, or baked, stewed or macerated in compote. It also is
tasty in grape and cranberry jelly. Lemon thyme and orange thyme have citrus
flavors and are less savory, and can be added to fruit salad; but they tend to
lose some of their citrus dimension when cooked.
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