I first tasted a fruit and herb flavor combination in 1998, when pastry chef Stacy McDevitt paired orange and basil in a dessert at Restaurant Hapa in Scottsdale. The talented McDevitts, unfortunately, have long left Arizona, but the memory of that flavor combination has stayed with me. Soon after and to this day, I still see fruit and herb combinations on menus all over the country.
Here are a few of my favorite herb and flavor combinations. You could experiment with your favorite recipes that use these fruits, adding some herbs for a subtle but intriguing punch. The easiest way is just to add some herbs to your batter or if you have a liquid, steep the herbs in the liquid first.
- Lemon & Thyme
- Pear & Rosemary
- Orange & Tarragon
- Watermelon & Mint
- Blueberry & Hibiscus (dried)
- Cherry & Sage
- Plum & Lavender
Looking for even more combinations? I would suggest Jerry Traunfeld’s two books, The Herbfarm Cookbook and The Herbal Kitchen. Both books have charts with all kinds of herbs and what to pair with them.
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