French tarragon sauce
One of the key items on many French menus is French tarragon sauce – often used in combination with many different meats and vegetables.
It is very easy to make but the ingredients make all the difference.
Cream or no cream?
Authentic tarragon sauce will contain butter & cream. However if you are lactose intolerant then it is possible to get the same lovely taste using 2 alternative options:
- Non dairy cream and
- Plant butter.
Both are described in more detail further down the page.
How to make French Tarragon sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp chopped French Tarragon
- 25 g Flora plant butter,
- 1 onion – cut into very small pieces,
- 4 garlic cloves,
- 50 ml white wine,
- 200 ml Oatly whippable cream,
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard,
- Salt & pepper to taste,
Equipment
- Large frying pan,
- Chef’s knife
Instructions
- Chop the onion into small pieces and crush the garlic
- Add the plant butter into a frying pan and add the garlic and onion.
- Fry the garlic and onion for about 30 seconds
- Add the wine and cook for another 30 seconds
- Then add the cream, mustard and salt and pepper. Simmer on a low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the chopped tarragon and gently stirring simmer for another 30 seconds.
- You can sieve the sauce if you prefer a smooth one, but it’s not essential.
How to use French Tarragon sauce
Goes great with all types of meat as well as salmon. The picture above shows it being used on Chicken goujons and crispy potatoes.
Or you can pour it over roast potatoes, sauteed potatoes or chips. As well with vegetables like green beans.
3 items that make a difference
Item 1 – The type of Tarragon you use
There are 3 different types of tarragon – French, Mexican and Russian.
French Tarragon has much more taste then the other 2 varieties. For example if you use Russian tarragon you will need to use at least 4 times as much for the same flavour..
French tarragon is very easy to grow at home.
For example the picture on the right shows French Tarragon growing on a bedroom window sill in a pot, and will grow quite quickly.
It’s quite small in the picture simply because I tend to cut it back often for use in recipes.
Item 2 – The type of cream & butter you use
A key element of tarragon sauce is butter & cream.
Usually it is made using double cream, but I made it using Oatly whippable cream which is dairy free, can be used like double cream and great if you are lactose intolerant.
Similarly I used Flora Plant butter and was surprised just how similar the taste is to standard butter.
Will be using the plant butter a lot more in other recipes
Item 3 – The type of garlic you use
If you buy garlic in a supermarket then this is likely to be softneck garlic. This type is a good all-purpose garlic that will work in almost any dish.
In the recipe video below I used this type of standard garlic that is sold in most shops.
However if you can try to use Messidrome Garlic – pictured on the right.
You might be able to find it in farmers markets or specialist shops. I didn’t use it because mine wasn’t ready yet and it’s simply not for sale anywhere locally.
French tarragon sauce
Equipment
- 1 Large frying plan
- 1 Chef Knife
Ingredients
- 25 g Flora plant butter
- 1 Onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 50 ml White wine
- 200 ml Oatly whippable cream (or standard double cream)
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp Chopped French Tarragon
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
1. Prepare the ingredients
- Chop the onion into small pieces and crush the garlic
- Remove the tarragon leaves from the stem and chop into small bits
2. Cook the ingredients
- Fry the garlic and onion for about 30 seconds
- Add the wine and cook for another 30 seconds
- Then add the cream, mustard and salt and pepper. Simmer on a low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
3. Finalise the tarragon sauce
- Add the chopped tarragon and gently simmer for another 30 seconds.
- Pour into a jug and serve with your meal
Video
Nutrition
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