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It's About Thyme And Rosemary For A Pair Of Pungent Treats

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By BETTY HALLOCK and DONNA DEANE, Los Angeles Times

Published: October 31, 2007

One: Who knew both rosemary and thyme were so distinctly fantastic for baking? And two: Who knew rosemary and thyme were so easily interchangeable in all those cookies, crisps and cobblers?

Put a batch of rosemary or thyme cookies in the oven, and the wintry herbal-floral aromas that fill the kitchen are a crisscross of butter, sugar and a toasty bouquet garnish.

Rosemary, with hints of pine and lemon, and slightly minty thyme (they're both members of the mint family) are known for pulling up the flavors of roasted meat or fish; accenting the saltiness in sauces; and defining the vegetable-garden tastes of tomatoes, peppers and onions.

But they work just as fabulously in desserts: buttery cookies; and pies, crisps and cobblers made with fall fruit such as apples and pears.

Like lemon zest or ginger used in baking, rosemary and thyme focus the elements in fruit that aren't sweet while tempering the sugars. But the two herbs add their own pungent, piney nuances.

Add finely chopped, fresh rosemary or thyme leaves to rolled-out butter cookies, and the fragrant herbs play off vanilla bean seeds and fleur de sel (a French sea salt) in the batter. The herb-flecked cookies are simultaneously savory and sweet.

Despite the strong essential oils in rosemary leaves, you can use the same amount of either rosemary or thyme in the cookies. Same with cobblers and crisps. A pear crisp gets a butter-flour-brown sugar topping with a tiny bit of ground ginger and a couple of spoonfuls of fresh chopped rosemary or thyme leaves. The herbs scent the pears in the crisp, mingling with the vanilla and lemon juice mixed with the fruit.

ROSEMARY-THYME COOKIES

1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fleur de sel

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary or thyme, plus additional for sprinkling

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Sift together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Stir in the fleur de sel. Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer). With the tip of a knife, scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the butter. Continue to beat until blended. Add the sugar and mix until light and fluffy, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the rosemary or thyme, then beat in the egg just until blended.

Beat in the flour mixture just until the dough is well-mixed. Remove the dough from the bowl and flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill it for 15 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies into 2-inch squares, rounds or triangles. Place them on a buttered cookie sheet. Lightly brush the tops of each cookie with milk, then sprinkle with a little rosemary or thyme. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to allow the cookies to chill an additional 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies 9 to 12 minutes, until the cookies have faint coloring around the edges. Remove the tray from the oven, and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

(1 cookie) 92 calories, 1 gram protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 4 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 19 milligrams cholesterol, 115 milligrams sodium

ROSEMARY-THYME PEAR CRISP

6 ripe Bartlett pears

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, divided

1 cup flour plus 2 tablespoons, divided

1 vanilla bean, split

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary or thyme

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Quarter, core and peel the pears. Sprinkling the pears with lemon juice as you go to prevent browning, cut each quarter crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. You should have about 6 cups of sliced pears.

Once you have sliced all the pears, add 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of the flour to the pears, tossing to coat. With the tip of a knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean onto the pears and toss to coat evenly. Set them aside while you prepare the topping.

Combine the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour, baking powder, ground ginger, kosher salt and rosemary or thyme. Add the butter, and work into the dry ingredients until it is crumbly.

Spoon the pear mixture into a 9-inch-square baking dish. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the top of the fruit. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and let stand until warm before serving.

Serves 6 to 9.

(if serving 9) 293 calories, 2 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 10 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 27 milligrams cholesterol, 114 milligrams sodium

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