Tarragon: A green for all reasons
17th Apr. '08 · Category: Gourmet Color · Tags: benjamin moore, gourmet, green, paint, recipe, tarragon
Authored by Monica Kelly
Angela of Cottage Magpie issued a call for spring green in March. Kate posted about all the wonderful submissions last week.
A cook’s favorite spring green? Tarragon.
Its fresh green color and delicate leaves are the essence of spring. It conjures up tender young shoots pushing up through the earth. Since spring is a time of renewal, why not consider sprucing up your nest with a coat of green paint? Tarragon’s soft green is a great start for any color scheme.
Consider Benjamin Moore’s ‘Liberty Park’ or ‘Shades of Spring’. They are neutral back drops for every color on the wheel, from pastels to brights, as all of spring’s blossoms will attest.
The light licorice flavor has just enough bite to chase away winter’s last chill. Tarragon Chicken is a delicious way to use this herb:
Tarragon Chicken
Preparation – 10 minutes Marinate – 2 hours Cook – 20 minutes
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ sweet white onion
¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves (or 2 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. kosher salt
6 limes (or ½ cup bottled key lime juice)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Lightly grease a 9 x 12, oven-proof, baking dish with 1 tbsp. olive oil.
Coarsely chop ½ of a sweet white onion.
Cut fresh tarragon into slivers to loosely fill a ¼ cup.
Toss chopped onion and slivered tarragon leaves with 1 tsp. kosher salt, in greased baking dish.
Squeeze the juice from 6 limes into a separate bowl.
Pour lime juice over the onions and tarragon making sure to strain out any seeds.
Add 1 tbsp. olive oil and stir.
Submerge the 6 chicken breasts in the lime juice mixture.
Cover the dish and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Set the oven to 500 degrees.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator.
Let stand for 5 minutes while the oven warms up and the oven-proof dish comes up to room temperature.
Bake chicken, in marinade, for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes the chicken will be tender and the marinade will have thickened slightly to form a fragrant, flavorful sauce. I like to serve Tarragon Chicken on a bed of brown rice to absorb the tangy sauce spooned over the top. A crisp salad or steamed green vegetable rounds out this simple, yet elegant meal.
What dish signifies spring to you?
April 17th, 2008 at 1:27 am
[...] Sensational Color | Color For Your Home wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptTarragon: A green for all reasons 17th Apr. ‘08 · Category: Gourmet Color , Category: Home & Garden · Tags: benjamin moore, gourmet, green, paint, recipe, tarragon Authored by Monica Kelly Angela of Cottage Magpie issued a call for spring green in March. Kate posted about all the wonderful submissions last week. A cook’s favorite spring green? Tarragon. Its fresh green color and delicate leaves are the essence of spring. It conjures up tender young shoots pushing up through the ear [...]
April 17th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Sounds delightful Monica!!
You are such a ColORfuL gourmet!!
Think Good Thoughts
Lisa
April 17th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Nice work Monica! Your thoughts and suggestions are well organized! Keep it coming. Jace
April 17th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Lisa - As always thanks for your good thoughts! I hope you try and enjoy the recipe!
Monica
April 17th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Tips on Your Dream Garden: thank you for the link!
April 17th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
J - Thank you!
April 17th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Very nice, great visuals! I’m bookmarking this site!
April 17th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
V. K. - PS, great photo of you, too!
April 17th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Victoria K - Welcome to the site. Stay tuned for more colorful recipes! (And, thanks for the compliment.)
April 18th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Hi Monica,
Looks great and sounds delish!
Ellen
April 18th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Beautiful! The colors are wonderful and I am so excited about trying everythingin our new home. Maybe I’ll try this dish on you guys now that I finally have a kitchen and a fresh herb garden. It sounds amazing. Keep it coming.
April 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Ellen: So nice to see you on the site!
April 18th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Kathryn Katz: Congratulations on the new home and good luck with the decorating.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Yum!