The Essence of Herbs

Book excerpt: "The Essence of Herbs" is designed to provide today's busy professional, including parent and homemaker, with the basic information that he or she needs to select, grow and use culinary herbs in a mere 42 pages and very few words. It is an accessible, easy to use guide to the thirteen most common and most usable culinary herbs; basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme. It presents only the essential information in easily digestible snippets. After some very useful introductory information on growing and using herbs in a general sense, and on their compatibility with food and with each other, each herb is explored on two facing pages. These two pages include the particular herb as a background illustration to aid the reader in recognizing the herbs in their shopping expeditions. The page on the left contains descriptive information on the origin and history of the herb, along with a descriptiuon of its flavor and aroma profile and suggestions on food compatibility and synergism with other herbs. The page on the right contains two or three basic recipes designed to showcase the particular herb. This is a book designed for accessibility and ease of use to meet the needs of the dedicated home cook who doesn't have the time, or inclination to pour through the many excellent reference books on herbs that are available.