Chervil

[Snadger]

I used to help out at a garden where the only herb the lady would grow was Chervil! She was Head of Catering at a local University, had a massive veg garden and an even bigger kitchen to cook them in.! Why Chervil, what did she know that I don't?

[madderbat]

Hi Snadger
I don't know much about chervil, except that it's closely linked to parsley, but a bit stronger tasting. Seems to be used with fish a lot, and can be used to make pesto.
Here's an interesting link for you
http://www.kaleberg.com/chervil/index.html

[smallblueplanet]

As veggies we put chervil in white sauce based bakes, or in tomato-based veggie bakes, or in a vinagrette.

It has a faintly aniseed taste, we like it!

[Alice]

Don't know Snadger. Only know there's nowt as queer as folk. Think that's the answer to your question.

[Snadger]

I always used to get b*ll*cked for pulling it out with the chickweed. It's a fairly nondescript plant!

Alice:....Queea board a hedgehog, as they say in these parts!

[wellie]

Snadger,
Chervil, and I'm typing this from one of my lovely books, is one of the indispensable herbs of French cooking: in classic fines herbes it is combined with chives, parsley, and tarragon. Fines herbes, or chervil alone, stirred into eggs make an excellend omelette or scrambled egg dish. In Holland and Belgium there is a long tradition of making cervil soup, either based on potato and shallot or a richer version that uses cream and egg yolks.
Chervil is delicious in consommes, and gives a delicate flavour to vinaigrettes and butter or cream sauces to serve with fish, poultry, and vegetables. It is a great addition to salads: try it in a wam potato salad or a beetroot salad with shallots or chives.
Chervil is sometimes used with tarragon in bearnaise sauce, and its flavour can usually be detected in Frankfurt green sauce. A small amount of chervil brings out the flavour of other herbs, but you can use it lavishly on its own. Scatter it prolifically over vegetables, and if you are using it in a hot dish, stir it in when the cooking is at an end, because the aroma and flavour quickly dissipate with heat.
Good with asparagus, broad beans, green beans, beetroot, carrots, cream cheese, eggs, fennel, fish and seafood, lettuce, muchrooms, peas, potatoes, poultry, tomatoes, veal.
Combines well with basil, chives, cresses, dill, hyssop, lemon thyme, mint, mustard, parsley, salad burnet, tarragon.

Any the wiser now?!

[wellie]

"Chervil deserves to be more widely used in domestic cooking" the book says...
Grow Your Own: Chervil is easy to grow from seed and prefers rich, moist soil in semi-shade. Sow seed where you want it to grow because chervil doesn't like to be transplanted. It does best in cool termperatures, in summer plant it between taller plants that will provide shade. Old leaves turn pink or yellow and no longer have a fresh flavour. Sow the first batch of seeds towards the end of winter, and sow every 3-4 weeks to ensure a continuous supply. Chervil grows quickly and can be harvested 6-8 weeks after sowing, but its lifespan is short - once it flowers it is of no use in the kitchen. Be rigorous about cutting out flower stems and harvest frequently, cutting outer leaves first to encourage new growth at the centre of the plant.
(It self-seeds by the way, which is great....)

Buying and Storing: Chervil is not a herb for long keeping. In a plastic bag or in damp kitchen paper it will keep for 2-3 days in the vegatable drawer of the refrigerator. Chopped and frozen in small containers it will keep for 3-4 months. Chervil butter can be frozen. Dried chervil has almost no flavour and is not worth buying.

Snadger, you'll probably know all about growing it, but I thought it would be nice to encourage others to as well.....

[Snadger]

Thanks wellie....now I know why she prized it so much!!!!

I might add it to my 'herb wheel' I've been planning for a while!

[Crazy Chickie]

Sounds very nice, and also like it might enjoy my more northern growing conditions. Another one for the shopping list thanks guys

[JazzDuke]

Chervil is certainly lovely. Delicate flavour of parsley with aniseed undertones imho. I do notice that the younger leaves are tastier and the advice above is correct. And you can't buy it in a supermarket - I always love growing and using something that can't be got elsewhere.

[JennieAtkinson]

Think it will grow this far north CC? Semi shade aspect would suit me too. I'll look out for some seeds. We'll have to do some catch up posts later in the year to see how we all enjoyed it?

[Crazy Chickie]

Good idea Jennie! Think it should be ok my marjoram has seemed quite happy since we moved up here, mind you I think the chickens may have killed it as they have been taking their dust baths in the herb bed.