tarragon

I love the combination of tarragon with zucchini. I make a zucchini pancake and add fresh, minced tarragon to it. It's heavenly!

Re: growing. Don't be fooled, as I was, by the seed packets. From seed, you're likely dealing with Russian Tarragon, which is noticeably lacking flavorwise. French Tarragon is hard from seed, but you're more likely to have success getting a started plant from a nursery / stem cutting from a friend. The French Tarragon is much more flavorful and hardy once it's established.

There are so many great suggestions here -- most of what I was going to say has been said already! So I'll just add that I'm also a big fan.

I find it easy to grow, and it comes back on its own every year.

I really like tarragon on corn on the cob, or off the cob, along with butter, salt, and pepper.

My favorite tarragon use is with pan seared scallops in butter. Very simple and elegant, and done in 10 minutes! Just sear the scallops in some butter and after you flip them from side 1 to side 2, add the tarragon and a splash of white wine.

I am a huge fan of the Silver Palate chicken salad recipe as well.

Michael Chiarello has a recipe for a yummy heirloom tomato panzanella salad that uses tarragon in it.

Tarragon vinegar and tarragon mustard! Also, mix it with parsley, chervil and chives to create "fines herbs" which is nice in creamy salad dressings, in chicken salad, with fennel, etc. ;o)

Tarragon also goes really well with blueberries.

Tarragon chicken salad from the Silver Palate cookbook is pretty dang good. Also I'm a big fan of lentils and tarragon -- I never have had in lentil soup (which sounds good) but have often made a lentil/toasted walnut/tarragon cold salad dressed with vinegar & olive oil.

I make a panna cotta with lavender blossoms and tarragon poached in the cream. I have a feeling the same combination would be lovely in a creme brulee.

I agree with Greenstuff regarding chicken. I make a killer tarragon, toasted pecan, mayonnaise salad. I also jazz up everyday green salads and rice with it, and infuse olive oil with it. The infused oil makes a nice hostess gift. Oh, love it in a rustic beef stew.

duplicate answer posted

I also love tarragon. Lately, I've been having it + chives with eggs. Sometimes I add a little fresh goat cheese to that combination. Tarragon is also great with chicken. And one of the the great French sauces, Béarnaise sauce, is like a Hollandaise but made with tarragon instead of lemon--it's superb with beef. And it's also a classic in simple green salads. Very versatile! I wish it were slightly easier to grow.

We are making a cantaloupe-tarragon sorbet at Peels right now. There's a lot of melons that would work well with the herb-- honeydew, galia, charantais, cucumber, h'aogen...

Tarragon is both a strong and soft flavor and can completely take over a dish if one isn't careful. That said, tarragon is nice tossed into a salad, like a leafy green, or chopped into a salad dressing {tarragon pairs well with creamy dressings made with yogurt and buttermilk}, or blended into a cold soup. I have even been known to toss it into a muffin or scone batter, but I think it shows off its best personality in raw/cool foods.

lots of lovely tarragon recipes to peruse in the food52 archives: http://www.food52.com/recipes/search?recipe_search=tarragon

I like it best with seafood and egg dishes.

Have fun exploring!