Culinary Classroom Lesson 11: Herbs
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of 'Culinary Classroom' with Chef Kerry Leonard, viewers are introduced to a variety of fresh herbs essential for enhancing dishes. Chef Leonard discusses the unique characteristics and uses of herbs such as mint, dill, cilantro, chives, oregano, thyme, tarragon, and basil. He emphasizes the importance of using fresh herbs for superior flavor and provides tips on identifying and incorporating them into culinary creations. The video also touches on the sensory experience of herbs, encouraging viewers to explore their flavors and aromas in a grocery setting.
Takeaways
- đż Mint is a versatile herb with a distinct smell, used in a variety of dishes and drinks like mojitos and spring rolls.
- đ Dill is a feathery herb often paired with seafood and used in pickling, giving a mild flavor profile.
- đ± Cilantro is popular in Mexican and Latin cuisines, and also used in Chinese dishes, but its taste can be polarizing.
- đŒ Chives are milder than onions and are a staple in French cooking, often used to add a subtle onion flavor.
- đ Oregano is a key ingredient in Italian cuisine, especially in marinara sauce, and has a pungent Italian aroma.
- đș Thyme is a flavor enhancer found in many herb blends, with a herbaceous taste that adds complexity to dishes.
- đ± Tarragon has a unique licorice-like flavor and is considered lemony, adding a bitter note to dishes.
- đ Basil is a staple in Italian cooking, often paired with tomatoes and mozzarella in salads, and has a strong aroma.
- đ Sage is known for its association with Thanksgiving and is the main ingredient in poultry seasoning, providing a comforting aroma.
- đż Fresh herbs are superior in flavor to dried ones, but it takes twice as much fresh to achieve the same taste.
- đ The homework for viewers is to visit a grocery store, taste, and familiarize themselves with these common herbs to better understand their flavors and uses.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the 'culinary classroom' video?
-The main focus of the video is on urban fresh herbs and their uses in various dishes and drinks.
Why is mint considered a versatile herb?
-Mint is versatile because it can be used in a variety of dishes, including spring rolls and light dishes, and also in drinks like mojitos.
What is the common use of dill in cooking?
-Dill is commonly used with seafood due to its mild flavor and is also the main ingredient in dill pickles.
How is cilantro typically associated with certain cuisines?
-Cilantro is typically associated with Mexican and Latin cuisines, and it is also used in Chinese dishes.
What is the difference between chives and spring onions?
-Chives have a mild onion flavor and are a different plant from spring onions, which are a type of onion cut into thin pieces.
Why is oregano often used in Italian cooking?
-Oregano is often used in Italian cooking, especially in marinara sauce, because it has a distinct Italian flavor and aroma.
How does thyme enhance the flavor of dishes?
-Thyme enhances the flavor of dishes by adding a herbaceous note without a strong pungent flavor of its own, thus providing a nice complexity.
What unique flavor does tarragon have, and how does it affect dishes?
-Tarragon has a light licorice smell and flavor, which some people also perceive as lemony, adding a bitter note to dishes.
Why is basil a popular herb in Italian cuisine?
-Basil is popular in Italian cuisine due to its compatibility with ingredients like mozzarella, tomato, and balsamic in dishes such as caprese salad.
What does sage smell like, and how is it used in traditional cooking?
-Sage has a smell reminiscent of Thanksgiving cooking and is a main ingredient in poultry seasoning, often used in dishes to evoke a home-cooked flavor.
What is the chef's advice for getting familiar with different herbs?
-The chef advises going to the grocery store, smelling, and tasting small amounts of different herbs to understand their flavors and uses.
Outlines
đż Urban Fresh Herbs in the Kitchen
Chef Kerry Leonard introduces a variety of fresh herbs that are essential in any classical kitchen. He emphasizes the importance of having these herbs readily available, either by growing them or purchasing them fresh. The chef discusses the unique characteristics and uses of each herb, including mint for its refreshing quality in dishes and mojitos, dill for its mild flavor complementing seafood and pickling, cilantro's popularity in Mexican and Latin cuisines, chives for their mild onion flavor in French cooking, oregano's pungent aroma in Italian dishes, thyme's herbaceous notes in herb blends, tarragon's licorice-like taste in bitter dishes, and basil's association with Italian cuisine and its compatibility with mint. Sage is also mentioned for its distinct smell reminiscent of Thanksgiving and its use in poultry seasoning.
đ Exploring and Experimenting with Grocery Store Herbs
Chef Kerri Leonard assigns a homework task to the viewers, encouraging them to visit their local grocery store and familiarize themselves with different herbs by smelling and tasting them. This hands-on approach is intended to help viewers develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the herbs' flavors and aromas. The chef also hints at the next episode's focus on glazes and marinades, suggesting a progression in culinary skills and knowledge.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄUrban Tresh Herbs
đĄFresh Herbs
đĄMint
đĄDill
đĄCilantro
đĄChives
đĄOregano
đĄThyme
đĄTarragon
đĄBasil
đĄSage
Highlights
Urban fresh herbs are essential in a classical kitchen and can be planted for fresh picking.
Mint, with its dimpled leaves, is versatile in dishes and cocktails like mojitos.
Dill's feathery appearance pairs well with seafood and is the key ingredient in dill pickles.
Cilantro is popular in Mexican and Latin cuisines, with a distinct flavor profile.
Cilantro's taste can be reminiscent of either salsa or dish soap to different individuals.
Chives are milder than spring onions and are a staple in French cooking.
Oregano is a pungent herb commonly used in Italian cooking, especially in marinara sauce.
Thyme is a flavor enhancer found in many herb blends and grocery stores.
Tarragon has a unique licorice-like flavor and is used to add bitterness to dishes.
Basil is a staple in Italian cuisine, often paired with tomatoes and mozzarella in salads.
Sage is known for its association with Thanksgiving and is a key ingredient in poultry seasoning.
Fresh herbs provide a superior flavor compared to dried ones, but require twice the amount.
Fresh herbs should be used towards the end of cooking, while dried herbs are used at the beginning.
Herbs like oregano and marjoram may look similar but have distinct flavors.
The importance of getting to know different herbs by smelling and tasting them in the grocery store.
Homework assignment involves exploring herb flavors in the grocery store to familiarize oneself with them.
Upcoming episode will focus on glazes and marinades in culinary applications.
Transcripts
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welcome back to culinary classroom
I'm chef Kerry Leonard and today we're
looking at urban tresh herbs out there a
lot of different dried herbs out there
there's a few that you should know and
any good classical kitchen is going to
have a few of these hanging around all
the time if you're lucky you have some
outdoor space and you can actually plant
these so you can just go pick them when
you want them nothing better than the
freshest ok let's take a look at what
some of these are let's start up here
with mint I bet you guys recognize this
guy he's got the real dimpled leaves
there if you put it you can smell it oh
this is so good it's mint spearmint and
you can use a lot of different kind of
mint out there that you could really use
freshens up a dish you don't even think
about mint being inside of spring rolls
and some really light dishes so you want
to use mint it's also great for mojitos
make a drink it's fabulous
then here we have dill and this is
really feathery looking and you find
this a lot with seafood because it's a
really mild herb also this is where dill
pickles come from dill dill pickles so
this is one of the herbs that we use in
that with all the vinegar and the other
great pickling spices so this is dill
this is cilantro and boy is it's gotten
popular as Mexican foods and Latin foods
really come to popularity lots of
cilantro it looks like some of the
parsley family though so make sure
you're picking up the right item the
leaf shape is a little bit different for
each of the different Parsley's and they
taste very very different some people
think that cilantro immediately reminds
them of salsa and other folks thinks it
immediately reminds them of dish soap
for some reasons so if you get dish soap
in your mouth you might not like
cilantro too much but this is yet she
used a lot of Chinese food too the next
one is chives and a lot of folks think
that chive is that thing like spring
onion is cut into chives no the spring
onion is a spring onion these are chives
and chives are
so they have kind of an oniony flavor to
them but it's much milder so if you
really want the real deal this is what
you're gonna find a classical French
cooking is real herb chive then down
here we've got oregano now this is
something that you're probably your mom
grandma anybody make it a marinara sauce
is use lots of oregano you can smell it
throughout the house it has that
definite italiano smell to it so this is
oregano there's again this looks a lot
like marjoram which is its kind of
cousin oregano gives you that a little
bit more pungent smell than marjoram
does these are just so awesome working
with fresh herbs or awesome between work
or the fresh herbs and dry herbs it's
gonna take twice as much fresh herbs to
get the flavor but the flavor is so much
better only work with fresh herbs at the
end of your meal we're dry would be at
the beginning of your cooking
this is thyme super popular you're gonna
find this and just about every kind of
herb blend that you can buy at the
grocery store which of course you're
gonna be making your own from now on
this is called time and little tiny
leaves on here and this is just a flavor
enhancer it doesn't really have a
pungent flavor of its own it's just kind
of herbaceous and adds a nice complexity
to your dish tarragon tarragon is
awesome people experience tarragon a
little bit differently
it has a light licorice smell and flavor
to it but it's a fresh liqueur it's not
like black candy licorice but fresh
licorice to it also a lot of folks
consider this to be lemony it's a great
way to bring some of that bitter into
some of your dishes like we were talking
about with the umami
so tarragon we're gonna be using this
for a dish called bearnaise in a little
while so this guy here is basil I bet
you've seen him many many times he is
again super popular again as Italian
foods are coming up make a nice to
compress this salad with the mozzarella
the tomato and the basil a little
balsamic drizzle on that Basil's awesome
again basil and mint go really well
together you could put those two
together it smells awesome and boy does
it grow like crazy so you can definitely
have that in your herb garden and this
guy is sage you might not recognize it
by its sight but you would certainly
recognize it by its smell it smells like
Thanksgiving is cooking this is the
main ingredient in poultry seasoning
it's mostly sage like dried sage or rub
sage this is a lamb's ear sage it's just
super soft and you cut this up you can
mince it up you can put it in a dish and
all of a sudden it's like Mama's in the
house it is so good so these are your
really common herbs that you're gonna
find in any grocery store you got to get
familiar with these the homework with
this is you're gonna go to your grocery
store and you're actually going to take
a little bit and put it in your mouth
you don't have to buy an entire bunch of
herbs to get a flavor for something I
want you to smell and pick them up smell
and look like the dork in the grocery
store so you start to get a feel for
what these are there you go in our next
episode we're working on glazes and
marinades I'm chef Kerri Leonard for
culinary classroom
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