Instructions: What do you do when a recipe calls for a mere tablespoon of fresh herbs?

If you buy an entire bunch, you can already see yourself throwing most of it away. If you dont buy any, you will not be doing the dish justice. Its a no-win situation.

Yet when was the last time you thought of using that extra rosemary or mint

In a batch of cookies?

Some herbs are indeed best in savory dishes, notably oregano, chives and dill. But many herbs have sweet and spicy notes that work splendidly in desserts. These include rosemary, mint, thyme, verbena, sage, tarragon, lavender, even basil and bay leaf.

The herbs balance the sweetness of the sugar in select desserts and add depth and sophistication to the overall flavor. When used in fruit recipes, herbs tend to play a supporting role, enhancing the taste of the fruit itself. And in other desserts, as with lavender or tarragon ice cream, the herb itself is the central flavor.

Throughout history, herbs have been added to sweets. The ancient Romans were known to bake herbs into cakes, though more for purported medicinal effect than flavor. (Herbs were prescribed for everything from aiding digestion to disease prevention.)

Healthful properties aside, herbs are being increasingly relied upon by restaurants as an innovative ingredient for the last course. Peter Smith, executive chef at Vidalia in downtown Washington, is one enthusiast. Smith considers herb-infused desserts to be a tempting option for diners who, like himself, would otherwise pass on the more traditional dessert offerings. In past summers, his dessert menu occasionally featured a number of herb-based ice creams, among them basil, tarragon and anise hyssop.

Elsewhere, herb dishes hold their own against the full range of more traditional desserts. Cashions Eat Place in Adams Morgan dishes up ice cream with lavender. At Toscas in downtown Washington, Italian flair is evident in the basil and the sage gelati and the strawberries macerated in thyme-infused balsamic syrup. And at Michel Richards Citronelle in Georgetown, the lemon meringue tart comes with basil sauce. Come late summer and fresh figs, diners can anticipate the fig tart infused with bay leaf at Obelisk in Dupont Circle.

Not just any dessert can withstand the addition of herbs. The focus should be on desserts that are better because of them: A simple butter cookie that lacks any extract certainly benefits from the addition of finely chopped rosemary. The mellow richness of a basic bittersweet truffle is enhanced by an after note of mint. A humdrum apple cake gains a subtle spiciness when finely chopped sage is added to the batter. And rosemary sprigs strewn across the caramel of an unbaked tarte Tatin add another dimension to the dessert.

So, when was the last time you bought rosemary in order to make cookies?

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