Herbs de Provence and Fines Herbes may sound quite exotic, but these flavorful culinary herbs are actually quite easy to use at home.
French cuisine is world-renowned for its precise techniques and delicately curated flavors. Ingredients like shallots, white wine, and butter are hallmarks of the French flavor, but it’s through the meticulous use of aromatic herbs that French chefs are able to create their culinary masterpieces. French cuisine is considered by many to be the most prestigious food in the world, but we can replicate these classic flavors in our own cooking by using the traditional herbal blends that this haute cuisine is known for. Herbs de Provence and Fines Herbes may sound quite exotic, but these flavorful combinations are actually quite easy to replicate in the home kitchen.
Herbs de Provence
Herbs de Provence is a quintessential French ingredient. Simply put, this blend is a combination of herbs native to the Provencal region of Southern France. It’s traditionally made with dry herbs, and due to its bold, robust qualities, is typically added early in the cooking process which allows the herbs time to develop a depth of flavor. Herbs de Provence is ideal for stews, red meats, grilled dishes, and other richly flavored preparations. The flavor of this herbal combination is deep and earthy.
The most traditional Herbs de Provence is made with rosemary, savory, oregano, marjoram, and thyme, although there are many variations on this classic blend. Some include tarragon, bay leaves, or basil and in the United States, lavender leaves or flower buds are often added. It’s worth noting that although lavender isn’t included in the traditional French version of Herbs de Provence, the Provencal region of France is famous for its fragrant fields of lavender.
The name “Herbs de Provence” was originally just a general descriptor for herbs grown and used in that region of France until influential American chef Julia Child used the term in her acclaimed 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This groundbreaking volume introduced the complexities of French cuisine to the American public in a way that even the most amateur home cooks could follow. It was in her recipe for Poulet Sauté aux Herbes de Provence, or Sautéed Chicken with Provencal Herbs, that Julia introduced Herbs de Provence to the world. Interestingly enough, Julia’s recipe used thyme, basil, and ground fennel seeds in place of the more traditional blend of herbs used by French chefs.
By the next decade, commercial seasoning blends under the name Herbs de Provence begin appearing on grocery store shelves across the country. Each brand offered their own unique take on the combination of herbs although the French company, Ducros, kept their version traditional using just rosemary, savory, oregano, marjoram, and thyme. In 2000, Ducros was acquired by the American spice company, McCormick & Company, but their take on this classic French seasoning hasn’t changed.
There are many variations of Herbs de Provence available on the market, but it can easily be made at home using whichever herbs that you prefer. Here’s my adaptation of a more classic version:
2 Tbs Thyme
2 Tbs Oregano
1 Tbs Savory
1 Tbs Marjoram
½ Tbs Rosemary
Mix all of the herbs together in a bowl until well-blended. Crush into a powder using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. This blend can also be made in larger batches and stored in a glass jar. Keep the herbs whole until ready to use. Waiting to grind the herbs will maintain the most vibrant flavor and aroma. Feel free to add or substitute other herbs that you’d like to create a custom seasoning. Try lavender leaves, tarragon, or fennel seeds for a unique version of this timeless classic.
Fines Herbes
Unlike Herbs de Provence, which is traditionally made with dried herbs, Fines Herbes is a fresh herb preparation that has been a staple of French cuisine since at least the early 1900s, although likely far earlier. The first recorded use of the term Fines Herbes can be found in the classic French cookbook, Le Guide Culinaire, written by esteemed chef Auguste Escoffier and published by French publishing house Groupe Flammarion in 1903.
The classic French fines herbes is made with fresh parsley, chives, chervil, and tarragon, although in some rare occasions, variations on this recipe do exist. The herbs are finely chopped and are commonly used in eggs, fish, or chicken dishes or in sauces like beurre blanc or hollandaise. These are delicately flavored herbs and should be added towards the end of the cooking process to bring a vibrant and fresh flavor to the dish. Fines Herbes imparts a note of herbaceous goodness to salads and can be used as a garnish on roasted vegetables or pasta dishes, especially those that make use of a cream or butter sauce. The name fines herbes is not a description of how finely chopped the herbs should be, but of the delicate flavor profile that the herbs give to a meal. Fines Herbes is best used in mildly flavored dishes that won’t overpower the herbs’ gentle yet exquisite character.
Although fines herbes is almost always made with the same four herbs, fresh chervil is not as commonly found in grocery stores here in the U.S. Chervil’s flavor falls somewhere between tarragon’s licoricey anise and parsley’s peppery earthiness, so either or both of these herbs can be used as a substitute if needed. All three, or four, herbs are traditionally used in equal parts and finely chopped right before use. Whenever possible, use fresh herbs for fines herbes, since parsley and chives both tend to lose most of their flavor when dried.
Tarragon’s bold flavor tends to dominate this blend of herbs, so feel free to use a little less of the herb if you’d prefer. Since I don’t often have access to fresh chervil, and I use a bit less tarragon, my version of fines herbes is not as traditional, but still just as flavorful.
2 Tbs fresh parsley leaf
2 tbs fresh chives
1 tbs fresh tarragon
Combine and finely chop all the herbs together immediately before using. I find that these herbs go exceptionally well with dishes that call for the bright citrus flavor of lemon, or the brininess of olives or capers.
Bouquet Garni
Unlike herbs de Provence and fines herbes, a bouquet garni is less about the herbs being used and more about the technique being applied, although in classic French cuisine, there are certainly some herbs that are almost always traditionally included. A bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs, either fresh or dried, that’s added to a stock pot to add flavor to broths, stews, and soups. The herbs are added early in the cooking process and removed from the liquid before being served.
While it’s impossible to pinpoint the first time a bundle of herbs was used to add flavor to a simmering pot, the first recorded reference specifically referring to something called a bouquet garni can found in the French cookbook, Le Cuisinier François, written by François Pierre de La Varenne and first published in 1651. In Pierre’s book, the bouquet garni consisted of chives, thyme, cloves, chervil, and parsley, which was then wrapped in a slice of bacon. La Varenne’s work and writings had a major impact on the development of French cooking styles. He was a staunch proponent of using locally grown herbs as opposed to the more exotic imported spices and he was one of the first chefs to use cauliflower and artichokes in his recipes, vegetables that were considered new and unusual at the time.
Today, most bouquet garni are made with parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Most French chefs will use fresh herbs in their bouquets whenever possible, but including dried bay leaves may be easier for cooks that don’t have access to the fresh herb. The three herbs are bound together using kitchen twine and tossed into the soup pot. In some older recipes, the herbs are wrapped inside the leaf of a leek, which can add another subtle note of flavor to the dish. Alternatively, some cooks prefer to put the ingredients in a small muslin bag. Quite often, black peppercorns are added to the sachet to add additional flavor to the stock.
Some other herbs that are occasionally added to a bouquet garni include rosemary, tarragon, and basil. Again, these herbs are most often used fresh but dried herbs can always be substituted if needed. If you choose to use dried herbs, a sachet will be easier than a tied bundle, since it will help keep the bits of herb and stems from escaping into your meal. Bouquet garni is French for “garnished bouquet,” and you can choose to use any herbs that you desire in your bouquet. Start by following these classic French methods, but feel free to branch out and try new flavor combinations too. One of the beautiful things about working with aromatic herbs is that we’re free to experiment with their flavors, trying out different combinations, until we find the blend that we enjoy the most.
