Several years ago, we came up with a purée of 15 herbs. The original base was used as a ravioli filling, which we served in a brown butter and balsamic vinegar sauce. The interesting fact about the purée is that the large amount of assorted herbs creates an intensely flavored and balanced staple ingredient. Does the amount and quantity of each herb matter? Not really, though you do not want to purée a massive amount of rosemary with a sprig of chervil. Use common sense in making the purée, balancing intensity with subtlety. The overall purée will be herbal, with all the notes working together to form a harmonious flavor. When we make the purée, we blanch and shock the herbs and then blend them with olive oil. Unlike our other herbal concoctions, we do not pass this through a tamis. The coarse flecks of herbs add to the character of the purée. Today, we used the purée in yet another oatmeal dish, adding chanterelle mushrooms, Piave Vecchio cheese, and fresh leaves of epazote to punctuate the final dish.
About the Author
