Herbes de Provence

It's been remarkably cold here in Seattle, which I don't mind terribly because it's brought a bout of blue skies and sunshine along. Anything that brings a little extra sun into Seattle winters is fine by me. I find I'm continually trying to lighten up the days of January, however I can — hot soups, spicy foods, walks in the sun, daydreams of beaches and warm breezes. Which leads me to this very unique spice mixture.





When I lived in France I briefly traveled to the south, to Camargue and Provence. I saw pink flamingos, sunbleached fences built right into the sea, and abbey gardens packed tightly with row after row of lavender. Beautiful, but I have to tell you that I've had a vendetta against lavender for a long time. Because it's used so overwhelmingly in soaps and scents, it was hard for me to stomach the idea of consuming the sweet musky flower. I still do not enjoy it in most sweet applications: ice cream or buttercream, I really can't get excited about.
My overall opinion on lavender changed one busy afternoon when I was particularly hungry at the restaurant I worked at in San Francisco. I sampled a piece of what we called "server bread" which was a tray of mild sourdough rolls splashed with an egg wash, topped with Herbes de Provence and sea salt, then briefly warmed in a convection oven.
I was startled with how beautifully the flavors blended.

This version here is by no means a master recipe. There is none. The mixture varies greatly from cook to cook and region to region. I attempted to add a lot of things grown in the Northwest to give it a local flair. Other potential additions include savory, basil, marjoram, and chile flakes.

Suggestions for use

• With roasted meat: lamb, in particular, or chicken, beef, or duck.
• In a stew: lentils, in particular, or with potatoes, olives, or mushrooms.
• Ground finely and mixed into a compound butter for toast.
• With any brined food: mushrooms, olives, pickled carrots, cornichons.
• Mixed or infused into: sea salt, peppercorns (pre-grinding), high quality olive oil, red or white wine vinegar.
• On or in a bread, preferably sourdough. 
• What else? Send me your ideas or experiments! 

Herbes de Provence

Recipe by Cowen Park Kitchen

A mixture of herbs for flavoring meats, stews, butters or breads.

Ingredients

• 1 T. lavender flowers
• 1 t. fennel seeds
• 1/2 t. finely chopped sage
• 1/2 t. finely chopped rosemary
• 1/2 t. finely chopped thyme
• 1/2 t. finely chopped Greek oregano
• few roughly chopped rosemary leaves (optional)

Method

1. Prepare all ingredients and combine in small airtight jar.