How to Use Chervil in Cooking

Chervil is a member of the parsley family, yet has a stronger aroma than parsley. Its name comes from the Latin word that means "festive herb" or "herb of joy." Start some joyful cooking by incorporating this flavorful and versatile herb into your favorite recipes.

Instructions

1. Add chervil after dishes are prepared. Cooking the chervil will destroy the delicate flavor that is part anise and part parsley. Many French dishes contain chervil, as the flavor subtlety enhances other herbs.

2. Use chervil along with chives, tarragon and parsley. This combination is called "Fines Herbes" in French cooking and is used to season many dishes. The herbal blend is the basis for ravigote sauce, which is served over fish or poultry.

3. Fancy up your cooking by adding a little chervil to salads, omelets and scrambled eggs and even mashed potatoes. If you want to impress others at a luncheon, serve cream cheese and herb sandwiches with just a sprinkling of chervil for a warm, subtle flavor.

4. Garnish creamed soups with chervil. The peppery licorice flavor should be added last so that the flavor is not lost before serving. Simple creamy potato soup can become exotic when chervil is added just before serving.

5. Combine chervil with spring vegetables like asparagus. Chervil is a springtime herb and naturally goes with other spring foods like baby carrots and green beans, spring greens and new potatoes.

6. Become the resident gourmet chef by adding a little chervil to your condiments. Chervil and cream cheese is a perfect spread for a bagel. Experiment by making some chervil butter. Preserve the chervil from the garden by adding it to white wine vinegar. Oil and vinegar is much more flavorful, and not more fattening, when chervil is added.