[wedjbu]

In order to make French dishes that call for sorrel, I've searched the web in vain for sources of the plant. It grow wild in Europe, but no one cultivates it in the Midwest. Even the Missouri Botanical Garden was no help.

Does anyone have experience with sorrel substitutes. I want to make a "puree de l'oseille" to serve with sweetbreads. Possible substitutes: baby spinach + lemon juice? water cress? tarragon? something called Chinese spinach? a combination of any of these.

Sorrel soup, puree, or sauce are wonderful, so can anyone familiar with these delicacies make a suggestion?

[Suzanne]

I'm putting a copy of this on The Chef's Garden, where more plant people will see it. It's also known as sour grass, if that's any help. I have a bag of it in my fridge right now, from my local farmers' market. It can be used raw; when cooked, it shrinks down to very little and turns a disgusting shade of green, but it still tastes great.

In the meantime: you could probably substitute baby spinach leaves and a large dose of strained lemon juice, since its most distinctive feature is its tart flavor.

[wedjbu]

Thanks, Suzanne! You're lucky to find sorrel at your farmer's market. As it's a perennial, I want to plant my own.

Substitute spinach + lemon, yes, but will the lemon mix with cream? You don't need to answer this. I'll experiment!

[shroomgirl]

Wedjbu, if you are in STL the farmer's markets here have sorrel too.....
check out Bottleworks on Wed afternoons....the Abrahams have sold sorrel for years at various markets. If you really are serious about it ask farmers to grow it.

[wedjbu]

Thanks again! I never noticed you were in STL. I'm in the CWE where in past summers (but not this year) there was a weekend farmer's market nearby. The vendors were very approachable, so I miss them.

Soulard market is a bit too hectic for me. A lot of jostling and hard-sell marketeers.

[shroomgirl]

try Tower Grove or Clayton Farmer's Markets....Both are fairly close to you and open Sat. mornings. My catering kitchen is in the CWE, last week I went to Soulard early (7am) to pick up asparagus and strawberries, found rhubarb too. Was going to Edwardsville and frankly got turned around in North STL after a stop on Broadway....so just ended up at Tower Grove around their opening at 8:30am. Loads of interesting greens.

[Suzanne]

I still can't help you on finding sorrel -- but I wanted to tell what I did with the last of the leaves last night (btw, they kept pretty well for two weeks[!] in a plastic bag in my veg bin). I had a tiny bit of tzatziki left over -- yogurt/cucumber/garlic -- not enough for 2 portions. I mashed half an avocado until smooth, stirred in the tzatziki, then added about 1/4 cup of finely chiffonaded sorrel leaves. A little salt (fish sauce, actually), and it went very well on top of sauteed salmon fillet.

I think that if you wanted to substitute spinach in a hot sauce with cream, you would add the lemon after the cream has cooked down; that's what I remember doing at work.