# Tarragon. How do you use it?



## Uncle Bob (Jun 4, 2009)

I mostly use Tarragon in Soups, etc. on occasion, and in a Chicken dish or two.

What do you use it for????


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## Andy M. (Jun 4, 2009)

I don't use it much.  When I do it's for Bearnaise sauce (SO loves it on her filet mignon) and in a soup or stew recipe.


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## giggler (Jun 4, 2009)

I like it on fish..

I take a piece of white fish with thin veggies and tarragon, and cook in a foil pouch in oven.

To me it tastes faintly like Licorice..

I don't think I've ever used any way else..

Eric, Austin Tx.


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## SRL (Jun 4, 2009)

Fish dishes and sauces for fish dishes.


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## licia (Jun 4, 2009)

Do you use fresh or dried?  The only tarragon I've seen in plants this year is the mexican variety. I may have to get some seeds.


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## kadesma (Jun 4, 2009)

licia said:


> Do you use fresh or dried?  The only tarragon I've seen in plants this year is the mexican variety. I may have to get some seeds.


licia,
I found a tiny plant at a local nursery and for the heck of it planted it...It just took off and now has these  pretty yellow flowers..It is lovely and I've used some sprigs with roasted chicken, I plan to pick some of the flowers for  my salad on Sunday.
kadesma


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## luvs (Jun 4, 2009)

nothing! i own it & a bunch of other spices i don't utilize.


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## freefallin1309 (Jun 4, 2009)

licia said:


> Do you use fresh or dried?  The only tarragon I've seen in plants this year is the mexican variety. I may have to get some seeds.




That's all we get in Texas for most of the year, whether it's spices or produce, it comes from Mexico.  When I had a job, we would skip past the normal groceries and go to the expensive Central Market or Market Street's and get a better selection ... but you sure pay for it.

Thankfully we're moving back to Florida in a few weeks and we can grow our own year round.


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## Katie H (Jun 4, 2009)

I love tarragon and, until this year, had some in my herb garden.  I prefer fresh, but I'll use dried.  One of my favorite ways is a sauce I make to serve over homemade noodles.  Yummy.  Also have a couple of chicken dishes that are delicious.


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## snack_pack85 (Jun 4, 2009)

I have only used tarragon in dressings, or in herbed butter. I enjoy it a lot in both.


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## cookiefan (Jun 8, 2009)

I like it in chicken salad and have a wonderful seafood lasagna recipe that calls for it too.


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## Loprraine (Jun 8, 2009)

I make tarragon vinegar, and then use it in Bearnaise.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 8, 2009)

Loprraine said:


> I make tarragon vinegar, and then use it in Bearnaise.



Yum! How much and what kind of vinegar...How much Tarragon...etc.


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## BreezyCooking (Jun 8, 2009)

Tarragon has always been one of my favorite herbs.  In fact, I have a big pot of it growing on my deck.

Favorite uses?  Apart from the ever-popular Bearnaise Sauce, I add it, along with fresh-chopped garlic, to mayonnaise to serve with chilled seafood - cooked chilled lobster in particular.  It's also a necessary for a good Green Goddess dressing (which can also double as a chilled seafood dip).  When I make crabmeat stuffing for fish or shrimp, fresh tarragon frequently makes an appearance.  I also enjoy it minced into cream sauces for poultry (a la Uncle Bob's recent recipe on another thread. . .).

UB - when I do make my own tarragon vinegar, I just buy a bottle of white wine vinegar (doesn't have to be pricey) & shove a few long very clean sprigs of tarragon right into the bottle.  You do have to make sure the herbs are completely covered by the vinegar, & frankly, even though it may not be necessary, I keep it refrigerated after adding the herbs just to be on the safe side.

On a couple of occasions I've made my own using 1/2 white wine, 1/2 white vinegar, + the fresh tarragon.  Again - kept refrigerated.


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## Loprraine (Jun 8, 2009)

I've never refrigerated the vinegar, but I did keep it in the cold room. Given the humidity of where I live now, I may have to refrigerate it. I sterilize a large jar, fill it with white wine vinegar, then add a handful of clean tarragon sprigs. I let it steep in a cool dark place (the cold room was great for that) for a few weeks. Then I strain the vinegar into sterilized bottles, discard the old herbs, add a few sprigs of fresh herbs, and cork the bottles.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 8, 2009)

Does anyone think Dried Tarragon would work? Albeit maybe not with the same results...


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## kadesma (Jun 8, 2009)

Uncle Bob said:


> Does anyone think Dried Tarragon would work? Albeit maybe not with the same results...


Wish I could share some of mine with you UB..I planted it about a month ago and it took off and is beautiful..I took some of it yesterday, along with some of my fresh parsley,thyme,garlic chopped it fine mixed it into butter and put it under and onto the skin of two chickens..Oh my goodness why did I avoid tarragonfor years? It is wonderful. Sorry I hijacked your question, but if I could find fresh someplace I'd use it instead of dry.

kades


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## BreezyCooking (Jun 9, 2009)

Uncle Bob said:


> Does anyone think Dried Tarragon would work? Albeit maybe not with the same results...


 
You could try it, but do be sure to crush & smell your dried Tarragon first.  Like I said before, regardless of what source I've purchased it from & how I store it, dried Tarragon turns into nothing but dried grass/hay in a heartbeat for me.  I never bother with it anymore, especially since I can grow it during the spring/summer/fall & buy it fresh in supermarkets the rest of the year.


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## JohnL (Jun 9, 2009)

I like to make a compound butter with fresh tarragon to serve with fish fillets or steaks.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 9, 2009)

BreezyCooking said:


> You could try it, but do be sure to crush & smell your dried Tarragon first.  Like I said before, regardless of what source I've purchased it from & how I store it, dried Tarragon turns into nothing but dried grass/hay in a heartbeat for me.  I never bother with it anymore, especially since I can grow it during the spring/summer/fall & buy it fresh in supermarkets the rest of the year.



Well I could certainly grow it here...long growing season etc, and no more of it than I use buying it fresh wouldn't break the bank...I just checked the jar of dried...Good color...pronounced smell...I'm thinking I will crush a few tbls. into a pint jar of vinegar...put it in the refrigerator and for-get-about-it for a while...Strain it off and see what I've got....A pint jar of vinegar maybe


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 9, 2009)

JohnL said:


> I like to make a compound butter with fresh tarragon to serve with fish fillets or steaks.



Good idea John!!


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## Liz Brooks (Jul 6, 2009)

I'm cooking with Tarragon tonight, and writing about it on Thursday. This is a great thread! Thanks everyone.


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 6, 2009)

Here's another favorite way I enjoy tarragon - one I usually save for all the "patriotic" holidays - lol!!  The tarragon flavor comes not only from the tarragon itself, but also from the tiny Cornichon pickles, which are made in tarragon vinegar.  This is a bold & tangy flavored potato salad that might not be to everyone's taste, but it's always been a hit around here.  The Peruvian Purple fingerling potatoes, since they're strongly colored blue/purple all the way through, make this dish particularly striking.

Breezy Red, White, & Blue Potato Salad
(adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown)
Makes approximately 4 servings
 
One 1-pound bag of mixed fingerling or baby potatoes (I like the “Melissa’s” brand), or, if purchased separately, approx. 1/3-pound each of white/yellow, red, & purple/blue baby or fingerling potatoes
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
¾ cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon dry ground mustard
Approx. ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
Approx. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled & minced
1 shallot “clove”, peeled & minced
6 Cornichon pickles, roughly chopped
1 small or ½ a large celery stalk, chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
 
Wash potatoes, place in a pot with water to cover by a couple of inches, & bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer & cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife – approx. 15 minutes.  Drain & set aside until cool enough to handle, then cut potatoes into bite-size pieces/slices.
 
In a bowl large enough to hold finished salad, combine all remaining ingredients well.  Gently fold in potatoes & serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator as desired.


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## ChefJune (Jul 6, 2009)

I used some fresh tarragon in my Chick Pea Salad for the 4th.  It was a nice addition.


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## babetoo (Jul 6, 2009)

i always think i like it or should like it. however, i really don't and and am almost always sorry when i do use it. to me it has a funky earth smell. not any help i know


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## ChefJune (Jul 7, 2009)

Babe, I've had several people tell me they dislike tarragon.  I have the soap-suds reaction to cilantro, so I dislike it, even tho I have tried and tried to like it.  Everyone's palate and/or chemical makeup are clearly not alike.

When a recipe calls for tarragon, you can substitute any herb you DO like. As far as I have ever found, they are pretty interchangeable.


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## babetoo (Jul 7, 2009)

ChefJune said:


> Babe, I've had several people tell me they dislike tarragon. I have the soap-suds reaction to cilantro, so I dislike it, even tho I have tried and tried to like it. Everyone's palate and/or chemical makeup are clearly not alike.
> 
> When a recipe calls for tarragon, you can substitute any herb you DO like. As far as I have ever found, they are pretty interchangeable.


 

odd huh, i love cilantro in many many things


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## bonniestylin (Jul 7, 2009)

I rarely use tarragon. But over the years find myself using tarragon in chicken and dumplings and beef stew. I know not why just habit and people like both dishes so i keep doing it.

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