Summertime is Fresh Herb Time

My freshly planted herb garden

One of the best things about summer is the abundance of fresh herbs.  Every year I have an herb garden in pots on my deck, just steps from my kitchen.  I grow parsley, thyme, chives, rosemary, mint, sage and of course, two kinds of basil.  Throughout the summer we enjoy Caprese salad with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, beautiful pesto, fresh herb vinaigrettes and more, all washed down with big glasses of iced tea with mint.

In addition to the herbs I grow, there is always a cache of herbs in my CSA share each week.  Gwendolyn and Brennan, the owners of Phoenix Gardens, also include a recipe or two each week using one or more of the ingredients that are in the share.  In a recent share they gave us a recipe for savory French cheese puffs or gougères.  These fluffy little bites are studded with Gorgonzola cheese and earthy sage.  You will definitely not be able to eat just one.

Sage & Gorgonzola Gougères

½ Cup Water
3 Tbsp. Butter, diced
½ tsp. Salt
½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Minced Fresh Sage
¼ Cup Gorgonzola Cheese crumbles

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, heat the water, butter, and salt until the butter melts. Be sure to not let it boil. Quickly stir in the flour until it is fully incorporated. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for another minute to cook out any floury taste.

Cook and stir a whisk to remove the floury taste

Remove the flour mixture from the heat and transfer from the pot to a bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the eggs, one at a time. The first egg should be fully incorporated into the flour mixture before stirring in the second egg.  Fold in the sage and Gorgonzola.



Folding in the cheese and herbs with a spatula

Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper.  You can vary the size of the puffs but I found that a generous teaspoon makes the perfect bite. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375 degrees for 15 more minutes.  After you take them out of the oven, poke each puff with a skewer or sharp knife to release the steam to avoid them getting soggy.



I forgot to use the parchment paper but thankfully they didn't stick.

These little puffs are a perfect accompaniment to cocktails.  They are super easy to make but give the impression you spent a lot of time making them.  Now that you have the basic recipe, you can change it up too.  I made a variation that used minced prosciutto and grated parmigiano reggiano instead of the Gorgonzola and sage with excellent results.  Try them with finely shredded cheddar and crumbled bacon or feta cheese and fresh oregano.

No discussion of summertime herbs would be complete without talking about the Mother of all herbs:  Basil.  This herb, especially when paired with fresh tomatoes, epitomizes everything that is good and fresh about summer.  The way I make that fresh flavor last well into fall and winter is to make and freeze batches of pesto.   My basic recipe for pesto uses basil, parsley, parmigiano reggiano and pine nuts.  You can mix this up by using spinach in place of some or all of the herbs, almonds or walnuts instead of pine nuts, really just whatever suits your taste.

Fresh Basil Pesto

2 Cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves

1 Cup firmly packed Italian parsley
1 Cup grated parmigiano reggiano
½ Cup pine nuts
2 large gloves garlic
½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cheesy, Herby Goodness!

Place all of the ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and process, stopping several times to scrape down the sides, until pureed.   With the processor running at a slow speed, slowly add the olive oil until fully incorporated.

Divide the pesto into 6 portions.  Put each portion into a Ziploc bag and throw the bags in the freezer.  Each portion makes 4 servings of pasta.  Just cook 8 ounces of any pasta according to package directions and toss with the pesto until thoroughly combined.

This pesto is not just for pasta.  It is also excellent used as a brush-on for grilled shrimp or chicken.  It adds an extra kick when spooned into gazpacho or vegetable soup.  Try brushing baguette slices with it and running them under the broiler.

I hope you get a chance to try these recipes and experiment with ways to make them your own.  Let me know how they turn out!