Herbs de Provence

Herbs de Provence

What would Julia do?

Those of you who I see regularly know that I’ve been working on developing spice blends and other seasoning ‘kits’ hopefully to generate some revenue from this Rabbit Hole of mine.

Herbs de Provence is one of my favorite spice blends, and for the last few years I’ve been mixing my own since I keep pretty much all the necessary herbs in my cabinet. I’ve looked at recipes online and the blend that Julia Child made famous and have developed one that works for me.

When I ran out of my last homemade jar a few weeks ago, I decided to make a giant batch to share and see if my local critics think it’s worth marketing. While I’m not sharing the proportions of ingredients here, it was suggested by my friend and fellow foodie Linda that I provide at least one specific recipe for using the blend. Honestly that’s difficult for me because I just sprinkle it into recipes when I get the inspiration. I use it in soups, salad dressings, marinades, relishes, dips… I could go on.

Since I don’t have a specific recipe, I figured I’d go to the source and share Julia Child’s poulet saute aux herbes de Provence. Sounds fancy right? It’s just chicken sautéed with herbs from the Provence region of France.

Prior to Julia sharing the recipe with her recommended blend in her Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the 1960s, the name simply referred to herbs grown in the Provence region. According to various sources, Julia used a blend some or all of the following: of rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, savory, and ground fennel in her Herbs de Provence. Soon after the book became wildly popular, Herbs de Provence was commercially produced.

My recipe for the blend includes 9 different herbs, and many recipes you’ll see on-line and in cookbooks also include an expanded list of ingredients. Some even include lavender which is a favorite of mine – but not in herbs de Provence. I honestly don’t think it would be terrible, but it would certainly limit where you would use the blend.

Herbs de Provence ready for test-marketing.

According to www.Foodista.com, here’s Julia’s Original Recipe:

For the Chicken

1/2 cup butter

1 3 – 3 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or an assortment of chicken pieces)

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp fennel seeds, ground

3 garlic cloves, not peeled

1/2 cup dry white vermouth (or 2/3 cup dry white wine)

For the Sauce

2 large egg yolks

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp vermouth or dry white wine

2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

For the Chicken

Melt the butter in a wide pot over medium heat. In batches, if necessary, cook chicken until golden brown, turning occasionally -- approximately 8 minutes per batch. Once all of the chicken has been sauteed, transfer any breast pieces to a plate. With in-bone pieces still in the pot, add 3/4 tsp each thyme, basil and the fennel to the pot; sprinkle the remaining herbs over the breast pieces. Season all pieces with salt and pepper. Add the garlic cloves to the pot, cover and reduce the heat to medium and cook for 8-10 minutes, until fragrant but not toasted. Return the breast pieces to the pot and baste with the butter, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally -- approximately 15 minutes. Transfer chicken pieces to a platter and tent with foil. Peel the garlic and mash the cloves in the bottom of the pot. Add wine and boil until the liquid is reduced to about 3/4 cup, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Pour the juices from the pan into a measuring cup and reserve.

For the Sauce

In a small, heavy saucepan, whisk egg yolks until they just begin to thicken. Whisk in the lemon juice and wine, then gradually whisk in the reserved pan juices, slowly to avoid curdling the eggs. Over a very low flame, heat the sauce until slightly thickened, whisking constantly - approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over chicken pieces and serve with roasted potatoes, fennel or ratatouille.

I would substitute 3 teaspoons of blended herbs de Provence to replace the underlined spices in the Foodista version of Julia’s recipe.

Thanks Julia!