Herbes de Provence Recipe — Bring South of France Home

Expensive to buy and sometimes hard to find, you can make your own Herbes de Provence recipe blend. It’s basically a blend of dried herbs that thrive in the sunny Mediterranean climate of Provence in the South of France. The Herbes de Provence recipe is one of my favorite blends. It goes with just about everything, from lamb, chicken, beef, vegetables, grains and green.

All of the herbs in the blend are easy to grow either in the ground or in containers, and are available at your neighborhood grocery store, except perhaps the lavender. You may have to seek out a specialty herb store for that.

To appreciate this unique blend, though, let’s talk first about flavor profiles of the herbs used and why they are a good part of any healing herbs list. Then I’ll show you how to mix up my own Herbes de Provence blend.

Lavender (Lavandula augustifolia)

The sweet, intoxicating flavor of lavender is essential to Herbes de Provence. Alleviates anxiety.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Like a medicine chest in a plant, the thyme plant has a peppery flavor. It relieves congestion.

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) and Marjoram (Origanum majorana)

Culinary cousins, oregano has a distinctive spicy, somewhat sweet taste and is stronger in flavor than marjoram. Marjoram has a grassy, sort of lemony taste. Both herbs are good for joints.

Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis)

You’ll recognize the strong pine-like fragrance and flavor of the rosemary plant. Rosemary is good for your memory.

Savory (Satureja hortensis)

Like thyme, savory has a peppery flavor and is a great digestive herb.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

Licorice-like in flavor, fennel eases a jittery tummy.

Bay (Laurus nobilis)

Tear a fresh bay leaf in two and you’ll be surprised — a little sweet and yet complex. Bay rounds out the flavor of this Herbes de Provence mix. Bay helps control blood sugar.

Rita’s Herbes de Provence Recipe

I like to smash the herbs a bit with my heirloom mortar and pestle, but it’s OK if you simply mix them.

4 tablespoons dried thyme leaves

2 tablespoons dried marjoram or 1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon dried rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon dried savory leaves

1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 dried bay leaf, crumbled

Stir together and store in airtight container in dry place away from heat and light.

Now for the recipes!

Beef Tenderloin with Herbes de Provence Crust

Fabulous hot, warm or room temperature. Leftovers make great beef sliders.

Bring meat out at least 30 minutes prior to roasting. It will roast more evenly.

Preheat oven to 400F.

1 tenderloin, 2-1/2 to 3# trimmed

Olive oil

1 generous tablespoon garlic, minced

Freshly ground black pepper and salt

Rub roast with olive oil, sprinkle & pat garlic all over and then sprinkle black pepper and salt all around.

Mix together:

1/2 cup parsley, minced

1 heaping tablespoon Herbes de Provence recipe

Roll beef in herb mixture to coat all over. Roast until thermometer registers 130-145 for medium rare to medium. This will take about 30-40 minutes for medium rare.

Remove from oven, tent and let stand 10 minutes or so to redistribute juices. The temperature will rise a bit, too.

Roasted Potatoes with Herbes de Provence

Not only do these look good, they are delicious.

Preheat oven to 400F.

2 large baking potatoes cut into wedges with skin left on

Mix together and toss with potatoes, coating well:

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, pepper to taste

2 teaspoons garlic or to taste

1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence recipe

Spray cookie sheet and place potatoes on in single layer. Roast until golden and done, about 20-25 minutes.

Herbes de Provence Honey

The herbs, as they infuse the honey, lend a haunting fragrance and delicate flavor. I love this on scones, biscuits and stirred into yogurt. This year I used locust flower honey from our hives.

I had plenty of lavender flowers to dry for the Herbes de Provence recipe.

1 cup honey, preferably organic and raw

1 tablespoon dried Herbes de Provence recipe

Place honey and herbs in a double boiler. Keep the water at a simmer, not a hard boil. Stir occasionally, letting the herbs infuse for 30 minutes. Strain in very fine strainer. Cool and place in glass jar. Store in pantry for up to a year.

Tips from Rita’s Kitchen

No double boiler? Make your own by placing a heatproof bowl over a pan that has a couple inches of simmering water in the bottom.

Crystallized honey. This can happen over time and does not affect the honey’s qualities. You can bring it back to a pour-able stage by heating gently in the microwave.

Herbes De Provence Salt

No exact recipe, but I usually add 3 parts fine sea salt to 1 part Herbes de Provence recipe. Mix together and store in airtight containers.

Have you had success making a Herbes de Provence recipe from your homegrown herbs?