Chervil is an herb native to the Caucasus and spread throughout Europe by the Romans, it has been famous for thousands of years – the mother of Euripides, the ancient Greek playwright, was said to have sold chervil for a living. Today it is used widely in French cuisine and is especially good at seasoning poultry and seafood with its delicate, slightly aniseed flavor.
It’s a pretty plant, with a growth habit much like parsley’s, but chervil’s bright-green, flat leaves are cut along the edges, giving the plant a delicate, fringed look. The flavor of those leaves is equally delicate, an elusive, anise like taste that dissipates with cooking.
STORAGE: Refrigerate the leafy stems in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel, and they’ll keep nicely for a week or more.
Uses: The fresh herb is to flavor vinaigrettes, omelets, softened cream cheese, herb butter, cooked carrots, chicken, salad…the list goes on and on.
