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Unusual herb and food combinations?

#1
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6/6/01 at 8:20pm
  • Joined: December 1999
  • Location: MO
  • Post Count: 2,491
So, does anyone made or eaten any unusual or uncommon herb and food combinations?

ie; lavender honey, sage custard, applemint pork, etc?
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#2
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6/7/01 at 7:33am
  • Joined: November 2000
  • Location: Gig Harbor, WA, USA
  • Post Count: 326
We have a restaurant here (Woodinville, WA) called The Herbfarm...I just got the Herbfarm cookbook by chef Jerry Traunfeld and there are some very interesting food/herb combos.

More info: &Session=30747468535119]web page
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#3
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6/7/01 at 8:24am
  • Joined: July 2000
  • Location: CT.
  • Post Count: 5,464
I love lavender honey, I make my own two times a year,
Galangal and orange are great together with scale fish and pork.
Cardamom and chocolate.Sweet woodruff and craked black peper in a sorbert.Try Salad burnet with toasted walnuts and roll the nuts and herb on olive oil drizzeled fresh goat cheese,Winter purslane is great in stir frys, I believe it may be called miners lettuce out west.nigella in curries.fenugreek also in curries or chutneys.mace and vanilla go well with eachother as well.
cc

Baruch ben Rueven / Chanaבראד, ילד של ריימונד והאלאן

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#4
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6/7/01 at 10:08am
  • Joined: July 2000
  • Location: CT.
  • Post Count: 5,464
CChiu,

My father in laws birthday is may first (May Day)They have sweet wodruff growning on there property. So I used to take a semi sweet wine and add a woodruff infused simple syrup to the wine and some sliced strawberry and it taste like may wine.The woodruff has a slightly sweet, peppery charactor to it,so one year i decided to make this sorbet and float it in the may wine for my father in law :)
cc

Baruch ben Rueven / Chanaבראד, ילד של ריימונד והאלאן

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#5
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6/7/01 at 11:13am
  • Joined: May 2001
  • Location: Central, Illinois
  • Post Count: 686
I love cardamom and chocolate together. A few months ago I made a tiramisu using bananas, cardamom, and chocolate.

Svadhisthana

http://www.musa.org/

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#6
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6/7/01 at 4:12pm
  • Joined: May 2001
  • Location: New York, NY
  • Post Count: 4,191
I just had Lemon Verbena Ice Cream, which was fabulous. (The same place had Basil a few weeks ago.) Didn't ask how they did it, but I suppose the hot milk/cream for the creme anglaise base was infused with the herbs, then strained before tempering the egg yolks. It looked like plain vanilla, but, wow, what a different flavor!

Co-Moderator, Cooking Questions
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#7
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6/7/01 at 9:59pm
  • Joined: December 1999
  • Location: MO
  • Post Count: 2,491
Cape Chef,

I'd like to move in and become your apprentice...

Ummmm, it all sounds intriguing. What is the sweet woodruff and craked black peper in a sorbert like? (What is sweet woodruff like?) What inspired you to do this?
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#8
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6/12/01 at 8:13am
  • Joined: November 2000
  • Location: Gig Harbor, WA, USA
  • Post Count: 326
Suzanne, the recipe I have for Lemon Verbena Ice Cream says that because lemon verbena loses flavor when heated, the lemon verbena is ground with sugar and stirred into cooled milk that has been infused with fresh ginger. To keep it light and vibrant tasting, it contains no egg yolks, and for extra tang, sour cream or creme fraiche replaces heavy cream.
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#9
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6/12/01 at 9:32pm
  • Joined: June 2001
  • Location: Minnesota
  • Post Count: 5,020
I absolutely love Screwpine and Coconut. I've did a Basil and Vanilla Custard filling for Angel Food Cake which went over quite well. Pineapple and Pepper Sorbet. All of that's been done before, who am I kidding :)

Kuan
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#10
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6/12/01 at 9:59pm
  • Joined: May 2001
  • Location: Central, Illinois
  • Post Count: 686
I have a grilled pineapple with peppercorn ice cream, that I've been meaning to try out...........

Svadhisthana

http://www.musa.org/

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#11
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9/30/06 at 12:05pm
  • Joined: September 2006
  • Location: manitoba , canada
  • Post Count: 65
hi, at my resturant i make tons of unique flavor combinations some of my favorites are honey tyme, honey rosemary, my own marsala spice blend with white chocolate, my newest creation was a signature flavor because of the resturant name so i made white chocolate cherry basil.basil is also great with strawberries and lavender is fabulous with strawberries. My next combo i want to try is hibiscuss flowers with white chocolate i think the tang will go great with the sweet of the chocolate and the color i hope will be a soft pink. I'll let you know how it goes.
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#12
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9/30/06 at 4:12pm
  • Joined: September 2006
  • Location: Currently Retired in beautiful Wisconsin!
  • Post Count: 49
Hi mudbug,

Since others have posted non-herb combinations I don't feel the need for restraint! Try a combination of Cumin, Cinnamon and Lemon juice for your next salad. This is a surprising combination from the Middle East!

Enjoy!
SGMChef

Have fun!
SGMChef

Don't take my word for it! I wouldn't trust me either!

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#13
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9/30/06 at 10:36pm
  • Joined: March 2006
  • Location: Form BDA, imported local to Virginia Beach, for now
  • Post Count: 215
here is some that is different...
I do it on ocassion, just for s+g's: cayanne and thyme sorbet, basil and goat cheese mousse. Black pepper, strawberry, goatcheese amus gal, or green apple and brie crustini with shaved fennel and champagne redux.

Like all good meals, this too shall pass

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