Tarragon, basil, chervil: the 'Holy Trinity' of French herbs

The essence of French cuisine is deeply intertwined with its masterful use of herbs, with tarragon, basil, and chervil standing out as pillars. 

These herbs are indispensable to French cooking and bring a taste of France to everything they touch.

Tarragon

This herb provides the distinctive anise flavour in Béarnaise sauce. This classic French sauce is a silky, whisked blend of melted butter and egg yolks with vinegar, shallots and a squeeze of lemon, finished with lashings of chopped tarragon.

Read also: French herbs: How to grow your own and use them correctly

Tarragon famously makes chicken with cream sauce even more delicious, while for something out of the ordinary, pair this herb with beetroot, cooked mushrooms or anything containing shellfish. 

Add a fresh sprig or two to a bottle of vinegar for tarragon vinegar.

Basil

Despite strong associations with Italy, basil is firmly rooted in the French culinary tradition. Notably, it is used in dishes of Provence, think soupe au pistou (pesto soup) and ratatouille. You will also find it in most dishes labelled à la provençale.

It lends its flavour to cooked dishes but heat does diminish the taste. A tip for keeping your ratatouille very basil-y is to use basil in the cooking but also add a handful of chopped fresh leaves stirred in just before serving.

The term chiffonade is a way of chopping the often large leaves in an attractive way. Simply stack up a few leaves, one on top of the other, and roll up lengthwise. Using a sharp knife, cut into thin slices widthwise. The result will be long, ribbon-like strands of basil and this method allows for better flavour in the finished dish.

Read also:  Recipe: sun-dried tomato, olive and basil bread

Chervil

This delicate herb looks like a finer version of parsley, or like the tips of carrot greens, which is not surprising since, botanically, chervil and carrot are related. The taste, like the others, has anise notes but here, it is much more subtle. Everything about chervil is subtle and, because of this, I prefer to use it scattered fresh rather than cooked.

The absolute height of chervil bliss is to add a handful of snipped leaves to a salad of summer Batavia lettuce dressed with a light vinaigrette. 

Snipped, rather than chopped, because it is nice to see the shapes of the leaves on the dish as well as keeping the pieces just that little bit bigger than chopped so the flavour is discernable.

Where to Buy

With the exception of chervil, these herbs are usually available fresh in big supermarkets, whether in season or not. Smaller stores may have tarragon in season. Basil, too, but chervil tends to be more problematic; it is a delicate herb and temperamental to grow. You can sometimes order bunches from specialist grocers.

All of these herbs can be grown at home, and they do best in a pot where you can adjust their need for sunlight and water accordingly. Some market vendors may offer bunches of tarragon or chervil in season (summer-autumn). In the height of summer, huge fragrant bunches of basil are a feature on market stalls, often at giveaway prices, so it is worth stocking up.

Never buy dried basil, it is an aberration. Use it fresh or just use parsley. Dried chervil is available, mostly online. Again, for optimum flavour fresh is best.

Tarragon is one of those exceptions. It is definitely better when fresh, but it is not bad when dried, especially when used in conjunction with seafood. It adds just the right amount of anise-y spark so it is worth keeping a jar on hand for the dark winter months.

Try it with frozen mixed seafood or when steaming up some mussels.

To store, wrap the end of the herb bunches in a damp piece of kitchen roll and put in a ziplock bag, with the air expelled and refrigerate. Clean and reuse the bag once herbs are done. 

To freeze, strip the leaves from the stems and chop finely. Toss very lightly in a neutral oil, like sunflower and put in a ziplock bag from which the air has been expelled. The herbs do best if they are in a flat layer rather than bunched up so try to level the bag when freezing.

How to use French Herbs

Tomates provençales: Roasted, halved ripe tomatoes topped with a mixture of chopped garlic and basil blended with extra virgin olive oil.

Compound butter: For a béarnaise butter, cook a finely diced shallot in butter until soft. Mix with 250g very soft unsalted butter, the juice and zest of 1 organic lemon and the chopped leaves from a small bunch of tarragon. Season and shape into a log on parchment paper, roll up and secure the ends. Freeze in an airtight bag or container. Excellent with fish or beef.

Courgette & tarragon: Unusual but a lovely summery taste combo, simply add some chopped fresh tarragon to a gratin or quiche made using courgettes.

Basil vinaigrette: Prepare your usual vinaigrette made from Dijon mustard, vinegar and oil, but put everything in a small food processor with a huge handful of washed, fresh basil leaves and blitz. Especially nice on summery bean salads.