gardenfish said:T
...<SNIP>...I do like tarragon, and I've been thinking of growing it because it's so expensive to buy. This herb has to be grown from cuttings, any seed you see for sale is not the true tarragon, so that might explain the cost. If I remember what I read about growing it, it should do well in my zone, and yours too, Sally.
Sharp drainage and sunshine...seems all tarragon really wants. I struggled with it in Memphis as it did not like the humidity. If you grow it, however, then you have the means of doing a proper Poulet a l'estragon. The version I recommend, more a technique than a recipe requires quite a large bunch of tarragon:
Strip the leaves from a large bunch of tarragon and reserve them for later. Bundle and tie the remaining stems bruise them with a bottle or knife handle and place them in a large pot along with about 1.5 quarts of chicken broth, (very) preferably homemade. Add a chopped carrot and an onion, simmer gently for an hour or two then allow it to cool. I generally do this a day ahead, strain the solids from the broth. Add salt to the broth if necessary to make it essentially as salty as you would like a mild soup take care to not oversalt it as later you will reduce the broth this concentrating its salinity.
Starting with cold ingredients place a whole trussed chicken in a pot, cover with cold stock and about a cup of optional dry white wine, place a circle of parchment paper on top of the broth/bird and slowly bring to a simmer and gently poach the chicken, take care to keep the chicken submerged - it may be necessary to place a plate or other weight atop the bird to accomplish this. Simmer very gently until the chicken is cooked through. Depending on size of the chicken at a gentle simmer this can take 1-1/2 or 2 hours. I suspect, though I have never tried it, that a low setting in a slow cooker would be a good substitute. While the chicken is poaching place about two cups of best quality cream (it must be cream not half and half or other, otherwise it will break) and boil rapidly until reduced by half, set it aside. The chicken will stay hot for a long time in the broth...meanwhile, remove a couple of cups of that broth/poaching liquid and, in a large sauce pan with half of the reserved tarragon leaves chopped boil to reduce by roughly half, when reduced, strain to remove the tarragon leaves and combine the reduced broth with the reduced cream, heat together adding freshly chopped tarragon from the remaining leaves - this sauce should be the thickness of pouring custard.
Remove the chicken from the remaining broth, cut into pieces (some people will also remove and discard the skin which really isn't the best part of a poached bird), place decoratively on a platter (traditionally with a crown of plain rice), pour the tarragon sauce artfully over each piece of chicken, garnish with remaining tarragon leaves and serve - passing the remaining sauce as desired.
Takes me longer to write it out than for me to make it, I think...it is one of the simplest and most elegant versions there is. There is also the school of thought that it is OK to use a roux to thicken the sauce...I much prefer the method described to reduce and thus thicken and intensify flavors.
Some people also add a touch of dijon to the final sauce. Heresy.
Now I am hungry.
