Ingredients

Crème Brûlée:
1 cup (250 mL) milk
1 cup (250 mL) heavy cream
2 sprigs tarragon
1 tsp (5 mL) orange zest
1 oz (30 mL) Cointreau or Triple Sec
4 egg yolks
½ cup (125 mL) sugar, plus more sugar for sprinkling on top
Fresh tarragon and superfine sugar for garnish

Blackberries Macerated with Tarragon & Ginger:
1 pint blackberries
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced tarragon leaves
1 tsp (5 mL) grated ginger
½ cup (125 mL) sugar
1 oz (2 tbsp) brandy or rum

Brown Flour & Tarragon Shortbread:
2 cups (500 mL) flour
2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch
1 tsp (5 mL) minced tarragon
1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar
1 cup (250 mL) room-temperature butter

Directions:

Crème Brûlée:
Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C). Combine milk, cream, tarragon and orange zest in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain tarragon and orange out of the cream and add Cointreau. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar. Whisk in the warm milk. Pour egg mixture into ramekins. Place in a lasagna pan or other high-rimmed baking pan. Pour hot water around the ramekins. Cover pan with aluminum foil, leaving 1 corner open to let steam escape. Bake ramekins for about 45 minutes. The custard should be set but still wiggly in the middle. To brûlée the custard sprinkle tops with an even layer of sugar. Using a blowtorch, melt the sugar. Keep the flame moving so the sugar doesn’t burn. The goal is an even layer of golden-brown melted sugar that you have to crack to get at the custard. For garnish, remove the leaves from a sprig of tarragon, wet the leaves and toss with plenty of super-fine sugar. Remove from sugar and let dry.

Blackberries Macerated with Tarragon & Ginger:
Combine all ingredients and let sit for an hour or more.

Brown Flour & Tarragon Shortbread:
Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Spread flour on a cookie sheet and place in oven. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes until it starts to brown. Stir the flour and return to the oven. Roast for another 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. Whip together butter, brown sugar and tarragon. Add flour and mix until combined. On an ungreased baking sheet, form dough into 4” (10 cm) discs about ½” (1.3 cm) thick. Cut discs into 6 wedges and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

To Assemble:
Place 1 Crème Brûlée on a large dinner plate. Place a little sugared tarragon on top. Place a spoonful of the macerated blackberries next to the ramekin. Lean a wedge of the shortbread against the ramekin.

Serves 6

Recipe by Alex Svenne

4, 8 oz (250 g) arctic char fillets
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
1/2 cup (125 mL) warmed honey
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped tarragon
1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
1 tsp (5 mL) lime zest

Roasted Asparagus:
1 lb (500 g) trimmed asparagus
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

Arctic Char with Tarragon & Honey:
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Season char on both sides with salt and pepper. Combine honey, tarragon, lime juice and zest. Melt butter with olive oil in a sauté pan set over high heat. Fry char cut-side down until golden, then flip and repeat. Drizzle fillets with honey-tarragon mixture. Bake fish in oven for 5 minutes until cooked and the honey starts to brown.

Roasted Asparagus:
Toss asparagus in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in 400 F oven for 10 minutes.

To Assemble:
Lay equal amounts of asparagus on 4 plates. Top each with a fillet of char and drizzle with honey-tarragon sauce from the pan.

Serves 4

Recipe by Alex Svenne

Ingredients

Béarnaise Reduction:
¼ cup (60 mL) red wine vinegar
¼ cup dry (60 mL) white wine
7 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced shallot
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced parsley or chervil (another forgotten herb)
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced tarragon
1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water

Classic Béarnaise Sauce:
3 egg yolks
1 cup (250 mL) butter, melted and clarified

Béarnaise Reduction:
Pinch of cayenne
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh tarragon

Beef Tenderloin:
4, 8 oz (250 g) beef tenderloin steaks
1 tbsp (15 mL) coarse salt
1 tsp (5 mL) coarse black pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) dry mustard
¼ cup (60 mL) minced fresh tarragon

Directions

Béarnaise Reduction:
Combine all the ingredients except the water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook until there is almost no liquid left. Remove from heat and add the cold water.

Classic Béarnaise Sauce:
In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water, whisk yolks until thick and frothy and just starting to thicken. Remove bowl from heat and whisk for a minute to cool down a little. (If you let the eggs get too hot, they will scramble.) Place the bowl back on top of the water and slowly whisk in the melted butter. If it looks like it is starting to split or overheat, remove the bowl from the heat. You can add drops of cold water to cool it down. Once all the butter is incorporated, remove from heat and whisk in the Béarnaise Reduction. Add a pinch of cayenne, check for seasoning and add the tarragon.

Beef Tenderloin:
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Combine salt, spices and tarragon. Sprinkle seasoning liberally on steak. Heat a heavy bottomed pan (I like to use a cast iron pan); add steak and sear tenderloin on all sides. Place in oven until it reaches your desired doneness. For rare steak, it should need only 5 minutes. Top liberally with béarnaise sauce.

Serves 4

Recipe by Alex Svenne

By Alex Svenne

What ever happened to tarragon? It used to be a fairly common herb in your spice rack or window box, but now it’s really hard to find. The main flavouring of béarnaise sauce and one of the herbs in any, “fine herbs” mix, tarragon is an essential ingredient in French cooking. I remember my mom throwing it on boiled potatoes, mixing it into egg salad or using it in vinaigrette. But now if you want to make a recipe using tarragon you would be hard pressed to even find it.

I love tarragon as a seasoning. Its flavour is somewhere between basil and anise with a tart lemony note. It is great for cutting through the richness of meats. It can stand up to and enhance strong flavours like asparagus and artichokes. And it adds a green freshness to everything it touches. I like to mix it into eggs when making an omelet, maybe with a little prosciutto and sharp cheese. I sprinkle it on fish with lemon and butter. Add a sprig to cream of leak soup. Chop it up with some crab meat and mix it in next time you make devilled eggs. Next time you grill a steak, if you don’t feel like making a béarnaise, just mix some chopped tarragon with a little butter for the perfect finish. Your taste buds will thank you.

Tarragon is also great for drinks. Infuse some gin with tarragon for a very tasty spring martini. Muddle it with rum, lime and soda for a fun take on a mojito. Chop up some tarragon and add it to a jug of sangria.

The anise flavours of tarragon also lend themselves very nicely to desserts. Toss some into your fruit salad. Add tarragon to the strawberries topping your strawberry shortcake. You can make syrup with tarragon and drizzle it over lemon or pistachio gelato. Don’t be shy; the flavour of tarragon will even stand up to your richest chocolate cake.

The problem of course, is where to get tarragon. Your best bet is to grow it yourself. There are several hardy forms of tarragon that will grow well in your backyard, with “true” French tarragon being a little more finicky—but with a little care it should grow well for you. Tarragon is a perennial so it should come back for you every spring, too.

If you don’t have any growing in your backyard, you are going to have to try the supermarket. Sometimes it will be in the fresh herb section. The more gourmet the store, the more likely it will have tarragon. Sometimes it will be an ingredient in the fresh poultry blend assortment. By the pack, pick out the tarragon and use the other stuff for something else. The problem is that because tarragon is the most delicate of the herbs in the poultry blend it is usually the one that looks very sad and wilted next to the robust rosemary and vigorous thyme.

If you can find dry tarragon, don’t be afraid to use that. I buy dry tarragon from a bulk spice dealer that is very tasty. The only thing that is really missing is that fresh green flavour. Whenever I use dry tarragon, I always finish the dish with another fresh green herb like parsley or chives to complete the experience.

I really don’t know why tarragon has fallen out of favour. It has a vibrant flavour that works so well with many of the foods we love to eat.  Maybe if we called it by its other name, Dragon’s-wort, it would regain its popularity. But my advice to you: find some, cook with it and see for yourself just how amazing it really is because I think it’s high time for a tarragon revival.

BY ALEX SVENNE

What are two short words that strike fear in the hearts of children and adults alike? Brussels sprouts. Shoved to the side of the plate, hidden under a napkin, and often fed to the dog, Brussels are the veggie that no one likes to eat. There is some science behind this, which I will get to in due course, but I want to get into the very idea of food dislikes.

Everyone has something they just don’t like. Some people are very fussy and dislike almost everything. My son eats pasta, hot dogs, bread, pizza, apples and carrots. That is all. Others are more adventurous and like almost everything. My daughter eats blue cheese, olives, curry, sushi and almost everything else you can create. But even she has a dislike. She doesn’t like mushrooms. I have always enjoyed most foods, but I didn’t like caraway seeds. Being from an eastern European family, we ate a lot of dark rye bread. I loved it, but if my mom bought the one with caraway seeds, I couldn’t stand it.

But now I like caraway. I like caraway now because I made a conscious decision not to let my old food dislikes get in the way of my enjoyment of food. My wife hated olives. For 18 years, I would routinely encourage her to try them. When I discovered jumbo green Cerignola olives, I fed one to her. She reluctantly tried it, and liked it! Now she likes all olives; Cerignola, the gateway olive.

People develop food dislikes for many different reasons. Sometimes it happens in childhood. Children’s tastebuds are particularly sensitive, so strong flavours can put them off. Sometimes they had a bad experience with food. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard; “I had some bad mussels once.” Or the classic, “Ever since that time in high school, I can’t stand the taste of tequila.” And sometimes people have food dislikes because they have never had it prepared properly. The worst scenario is when people dislike food they have never even tried! How often do I hear, “I don’t like blue cheese.” Have you tried it? “No, I just don’t like it.”

I challenge you to face your food fears. Find those dishes you think you don’t like and try them again. Your sense of taste changes. Learn how to prepare the food properly. Try it in a restaurant. Open your mind and expand your palate. There is a world of food out there for you to experience and enjoy.

Now, back to Brussels sprouts. Named for the city in Belgium, the sprouts have origins in ancient Rome. Brussels sprouts contain strong cancer-fighting compounds. They also contain a chemical called glucosilinate sinigrin, which my son explains to me is a sugar bonded with a sulfur-nitrogen compound. This chemical is released at high temperature producing a sulfur smell and taste. This seems to explain why Brussels sprouts are so often disliked. You are over cooking them!

Brussels sprouts are bright green when you pick them off the plant and they should be bright green when you cook them. When they get the colour of army fatigues you have gone too far. You can cook them whole, cut them in half or slice them. If you choose to cook them whole, cause this looks cool, cut slits in the tops to allow the heat to get in and the steam to escape. Cook them until they are tender, but still a nice bright shade of green. You can boil them in boiling salted water. You can cut them in half, toss them with olive oil and roast them in a hot oven. I like to slice them and pan-fry them. This is the fastest way to cook them and you get the nice nutty flavours when the sugars caramelize. I will fry them up with a little grainy mustard and a shot of honey. I love Brussels sprouts with pork or duck, but I have been known to sit down and just eat a bowl of Brussels sprouts with nothing else.

So, it’s time to face your fears and try Brussels sprouts again.