What to do with lemon thyme?

June 16, 2011 4:05 PM

I am seeking yummy things to do with lemon thyme.

I'm growing herbs on my balcony, and for some reason I've got a bumper crop of lemon thyme. Anyone have any delicious recipes or ideas for using it?

posted by craichead to Food & Drink (17 answers total)

Meat is my go-to. Pork chops, roast chicken, any kind of ground meat format. Eggs, too.

I really love fresh lemon thyme. It's pretty delicate, too, so you can use quite a lot.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:14 PM on June 16, 2011

Ooh! Chopped up and sprinkled liberally along with pepper and salt on lightly buttered summer squash= one of the reasons I get homesick for the South at this time of year.
posted by likeso at 4:14 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's good with pasta, especially mushroom cream sauce.

Also, I like it with potato leek soup.
posted by guster4lovers at 4:16 PM on June 16, 2011

Tuck a couple of sprigs into a foil packet with a mild white fish (mahi mahi?) + sliced olives + salt/pepper + a healthy drizzle of olive oil. Seal up the foil "pouch" tightly and bake it for a few minutes until the fish flakes with a fork.
posted by muirne81 at 4:26 PM on June 16, 2011 [2 favorites]

It's also delish in breakfast hash with diced potatoes, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash.
posted by muirne81 at 4:28 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Call me crazy, but I think it would go great in a savory shortbread, with lemon zest.
posted by Gilbert at 4:34 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Muddled with gin or vodka maybe?
posted by humboldt32 at 4:46 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

I make the most awesome lemonade with it. Basically: boiling water, shitloads of honey, lemons, limes and lemon thyme. By gum, it's good!
posted by smoke at 4:59 PM on June 16, 2011

You can make an herb butter with it, which can be refrigerated or frozen for later. Then cook on a meat or pasta or whatever later in the season when you're not looking at such a bumper crop and starting to miss it. General idea of herb butter. This page has instructions on freezing at the end of the recipe.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:18 PM on June 16, 2011

Also, herb butter crammed under the skin of a whole chicken, then slow roasted = Divine. Here's the Mark Bittman recipe. I basically use whatever herbs I have, mucho garlic and onion, butter. Also cook it until the skin is golden brown, the cook from the link took it out too early.
posted by amileighs at 5:25 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Truffles! Nuke 2 oz heavy cream to boiling. Throw in a much roughly chopped herbs as you can. Cover and steep until cream is cool.

When cool, remove leaves, pressing thru Strainer or cheesecloth so you retain as much cream as possible. Reheat cream to almost boiling. Add 8 oz chopped dark chocolate or 9 oz white chocolate, or 8 oz milk chocolate.

Stir to blend until smooth. When cool, either pipe mounds w/ pastry bag, or scoop w/ #100 disher. Cool for at least 3 hrs or overnight.

Either dip in tempered chocolate, or roll in cocoa powder or powdered sugar to finish.

Yum!
posted by dejah420 at 5:37 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

As a counterpoint (sort of) to amileighs's suggestion, tuck a few sprigs under the skin of a chicken that you've thoroughly dried and salted, then roast in high heat.
posted by telegraph at 6:10 PM on June 16, 2011

This is pretty much the only recipe I ever link to on MeFi but it calls for both lemons and thyme and would frankly be amazing with lemon thyme!
posted by DarlingBri at 6:22 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Infuse vodka with it. Seriously, just crack open a bottle of Smirnoff, pour a little bit off, and stuff some (washed) lemon thyme down inside. Perhaps some lemon peel as well.
posted by kestrel251 at 7:13 PM on June 16, 2011

I meant to finish that by saying: let it sit in a cupboard for a week or two. Then enjoy.
posted by kestrel251 at 7:14 PM on June 16, 2011

I like to make ratatouille with lemon thyme. I think regular thyme is traditional, but the lemon note adds a nice brightness to the dish.
posted by Orinda at 8:26 PM on June 16, 2011

Make a quick vodka infusion (instructions here). I've never done it with lemon thyme, but I've done it with regular thyme and lemon zest, and let me tell you it makes a DELICIOUS martini.
posted by ourobouros at 5:23 AM on June 17, 2011