Since 1990, Jerry Traunfeld has been the chef at the Herbfarm, a restaurant-nursery nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State devoted to propagating an exceptional variety of culinary herbs, edible flowers, and greens. People wait months for a table at this restaurant, where Traunfeld's unaffected yet sophisticated cooking unfolds in a nine-course dinner. Reading his recipes, you understand why.
This sauce vividly captures the bright flavor and color of many different leafy herbs, so that by learning the basic recipe, you can prepare at least a dozen different herb sauces. All are particularly delicious served with simply prepared fish and shellfish, but I also serve them as sauce for savory souffles and on steamed vegetables. You begin by making a light beurre blanc, a classic French sauce made by whisking butter into white wine that's been boiled with shallots and vinegar or lemon juice. You then fill a blender with the fresh green herb(s) of your choice, pour the hot sauce in, and puree until smooth and brightly colored. The beurre blanc base can be made up to an hour ahead of time and kept warm, but you must do the final blending at the last minute.
Makes: 1/2 to 3/4 cup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, finely chopped (3 tablespoons)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
ONE OF THE FOLLOWING, GENTLY PACKED, OR A COMBINATION:
1/2 cup fresh chervil leaves
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh fennel leaves
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup fresh spearmint leaves
1/2 cup fresh dill leaves
1/4 cup fresh young lovage leaves
1/4 cup French or Mexican tarragon leaves
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup arugula leaves
3/4 cup coarsely chopped young mustard greens
3/4 cup coarsely chopped sorrel leaves
3/4 cup watercress or peppercress leaves
Beurre blanc: Melt 2 teaspoons of the butter in a small (1-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until it is softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the wine, lemon juice, and salt, increase the heat to medium-high, and boil until the mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup. Until you've made this recipe many times and can judge the correct consistency at a glance, measure the reduced wine mixture in a measuring cup, then return it to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and rapidly whisk in the remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to melt before the next is added. The sauce should be the consistency of light cream and emulsified, meaning the butter does not separate and rise to the surface. You can hold the sauce at this stage for up to 1 hour if you pour it in the top of a double boiler or another pan that is set in a larger pan of barely simmering water. Keep the sauce uncovered. Don't worry if it separates slightly-it will come together again when it is blended.
Herbs: Put the herbs in the container of an electric blender. Fill the blender container half full of hot tap water, then pour it out, holding the herbs back with your hand. This warms the container and the herbs so they don't cool the sauce when it's poured in. Bring the sauce to a simmer and immediately pour it over the herbs. Cover the blender container and blend on high speed until the sauce is very smooth and bright green, about 30 seconds. It should be thin enough to spread into a pool when spooned on a plate but not runny. If it is too thick, blend in hot tap water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Taste and add additional salt if needed
