Sunday 24 October 2021

Favourites


More food. Last night I roasted a very tarragon-heavy chicken - I stuffed it with a large bunch of fresh tarragon and made a sauce/gravy using dried and fresh tarragon, plus mushrooms, with a little dash of cream at the end so it did not curdle. Food has become very important to me over the last 18 months, but I seldom write about it, let alone take photos of it and put them up on Instagram.

Halfway through the eating, I said to H.I. that I believed that tarragon was my favourite herb. She said, what about coriander, both leaf, seed and stalk? And what about basil? I would like to have said that tarragon is the best with chicken, but depending on where you are in the world, coriander is also wonderful with chicken. Maybe I should have just qualified it by saying that tarragon was my favourite herb - tonight.

I once asked an eight year-old guest if she liked strawberry crème fraîche (I found the special characters) and she said it was her favourite. Well, favourite today maybe, I snarled, but give it another couple of weeks and you will have probably discovered something you like better. I didn't really say that. I didn't even think it.

How many times have you been asked the impossible question, 'what is your favourite colour'? The only people who can give a straight answer to that are the sort of people who dress head to toe in purple, every day of the week.

If you have ever been on a colour theory course, you will never profess to having a favourite colour again.

I used to jokingly ask my mother who was her favourite out of me, my brother and my two sisters, and she would always tell the same lie about not having a favourite.

"All right then. Who is your least favourite?" was the other trick question to which I knew the answer. She would not be drawn.

28 comments:

  1. I am a bit nervous about posting up a block of pure purple here. When I was at college, I asked someone to help me paint a wall purple. He painted a two foot square patch in front of himself, then immediately had an epileptic fit. Moral: Never trust anyone who wears purple, even if they are a Roman Emperor.

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    1. ...or especially if they are a Roman Emperor...

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  2. They { whoever 'they' are ? } say that you shouldn't paint a room purple ..... it's supposed to make you depressed and suicidal. As much as I love food and will try pretty much everything, I'm not a great lover of too many herbs. I have that coriander thing that a lot of people have where it tastes soapy. I do love basil though and mint and thyme ..... I just don't like them to overpower everything. Please feel free to ask me round for dinner though ..... I don't dislike them that much. XXXX

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    1. The worst colour to paint a hospital waiting room is purple. The second worst is orange. Do you like jasmine tea? To me that really tastes like cosmetics, but not hernbs.

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    2. I hate perfumes which smell edible too.

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    3. Jasmine tea wouldn’t be top of my list …. I don’t want to drink perfume ! XXXX

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    4. Jasmine tea wouldn’t be top of my list …. I don’t want to drink perfume ! XXXX

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    5. I have no idea why y comment was published three times !!!! XXXX

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    6. Nor me. I heard you the first time.

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  3. I don't know what tarragon tastes like. I looked it up and it seemed like it might be a bit over-powering with so much in and on one chicken. I have no strong views either way really because I know how I like my chicken and my gravy and it is yummy and doesn't have lots of herbs.

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  4. I once woke myself up from a deep sleep vigorously discussing (with myself) which way a Roman toga was worn over the arm, flipped to the front or flipped to the back. My dreamed debate was so heated that it continued whilst I was awake. I had to take myself downstairs, make a brew before the raging calmed down....

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  5. I like savory flavors. Tarragon chicken sounds pretty good as long as it was not over powering. I like thyme, butter, salt and pepper on squash. Lemon chicken is good. Creamy garlic chicken is also a favorite.

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    1. Tarragon with chicken is a classic combination and delicious. I make a traybake with chicken thighs, leek and new potatoes that has fresh tarragon in it regularly. Yum... mind you, chicken with all those other things are also favourites !!

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    2. Jean, your tarragon chicken sounds delicious. Chicken thighs, tarragon, leeks and new potatoes...what's not to like!

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    3. Susan, it’s a winner! See here:
      https://www.lovefood.com/recipes/60388/rachel-allens-chicken-openpot-roast

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    4. Jean, I printed the recipe. It sounds excellent and very savory. Thank you very much, Susan

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  6. At least you and H.I. know the correct answer!

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  7. I don't understand arguing pointlessly. You cooked a wonderful supper, and that was to be savored, instead of getting into a debate about whether tarragon was truly your favorite herb or not. It sounds pretty ungracious. Forgive me for saying it.

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  8. I´m not sure I´ve ever used tarragon, I´ve just googled it and it looks interesting. I´ll have to see if it is available here so I can try it.

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  9. Apparently purple is back in vogue again in the clothes department, so you are running with the fashionistas today. Dinner sounded delicious, too. I think it was a Trivial Pursuit question that gave me the answer to the most commonly used herb in the world, presumably also meaning favourite, and it's coriander.

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    1. If purple is in vogue, that's indicative of something not right to me.

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