Use fresh ingredients in the spring

Spring has sprung, and many of us have the urge to plant a garden, but not everyone has the space. An herb garden is the perfect choice for a space-inhibited green thumb. Indoor or outdoor, herbs are beautiful plants that will grow with little effort year round providing a continuous payoff of great fragrances, but most importantly, great flavors. In addition to flavoring foods, many herbs offer health benefits such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that may help protect against a variety of diseases to include cancer and heart disease.

If you have thought about planting an herb garden, now is a good time to start one. Most gardeners recommend planting herbs after the last day of frost in the spring to avoid losing plants to a late freeze. If your thumb isn’t green, don’t despair, fresh herbs for sale are widely available.

Our menu today is enhanced with some of our favorite easily grown or accessible herbs. Blending popular sage with rosemary and thyme adds layers of flavor to our herb encrusted pork tenderloin, while tarragon butter adds zing to the baked acorn squash and a hint of rosemary in the roasted red potatoes lingers on the tongue complimenting the pork dish. Finish the meal with the tranquil tones of lavender in a lush, yet light lavender crème brule. Whether you are an avid gardener and pick them fresh as needed, or pick them from your favorite vendor, farmers market or grocery store, herbs can transform the ordinary meal into something exceptional.

Baked acorn SquaSh With tarragon Butter

INGREDIENTS

2 acorn squash Kosher salt Fresh ground pepper 4 tablespoons of butter 2 cloves garlic finely minced 4 teaspoons of coarsely chopped tarragon DIRECTIONS Preheat an oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Cut squash in half lengthwise then remove the seeds. Place cut side up into a bake pan with a shallow water bath, approx 1/2 inch deep. Add 1 tablespoon of butter in the well of each half. Season with salt and pepper. Evenly divide the garlic among each half. Add 1 teaspoon of tarragon to each squash half. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until the pulp pushes away with the tines of a fork with ease.

RosemaRy Roasted Red Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes

1/8 cup good olive oil

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoons minced garlic, about

3 cloves

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit. Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Put the potatoes onto a baking sheet and spread out into one layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning. Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste and serve.

Lavender Crème BruLe

INGREDIENTS

4 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers

1 teaspoon lemon zest

8 egg yolks

1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1/8 teaspoon of salt

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 300 Fahrenheit. Butter the custard cups and set them into a baking dish, preferably glass. In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, add cream and the lavender flowers; heat just to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow lavender flowers to infuse with the cream for 5 minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove lavender flowers. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 the sugar until light and creamy. Slowly add the strained cream to the egg mixture, blending well. Divide custard mixture among the custard cups. Bring the water for the water bath to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until set around the edges but still loose in the center.

The cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cup used, but begin checking at a half-hour and check back regularly. When the center of the custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken, that’s when you can remove it from the oven. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and refrigerate at least two hours or up to two days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle approximately 2 teaspoons of remaining sugar over each crème brule. For best results, use a small hand-held torch. Hold the torch 4 to 5 inches from the sugar, move the flame over the sugar covered surface maintaining a slow and even motion. Stop torching just before the desired degree of doneness is reached, as the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after flame has been removed. If you don’t have a torch, place crème brule 6 inches below the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes or until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. Refrigerate crème brule at least 10 minutes before serving.

Chef John Strand of Accents – Personal Chef Services specializes in elegant in-home dinners and weekly meal services, “making your home your favorite place to eat.” He can be reached via email from his website at www.accentspcs.com.