ON THE HUNT FOR HERBS.

Byline: Martin S. Gonzalez Staff Writer

`Twenty years ago, most people didn't know anything about herbs,'' said Shirley Kerins on a radiant afternoon at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. ``But now that people are into food more, they are more interested.''

And because of that the library recently released ``A Celebration of Herbs: Recipes From the Huntington Herb Garden'' (Huntington Library Press; $30), based on the lectures of Kerins, former curator of the Huntington Herb Garden from 1984-99. Along with more than 200 recipes - from soups and salads to entrees and desserts - contributed by library volunteers, staff and scholars, the volume includes information on growing herbs and a mail-order list for fresh and dried herbs. Color illustrations are reproduced from Elizabeth Blackwell's ``A Curious Herbal,'' published in 1737, and from other rare books in the library's collection.

In the Huntington Herb Garden you'll find collections of herbs from the well-known to the obscure, and from native American plants to those from Europe, Asia, and Central and South America.

``This is borage - borago officinalis,'' explained Kerins. ``These beautiful blue flowers taste like cucumber. They are wonderful on crackers spread with herb butter.''

Kerins was using the borage, along with an assortment of herbs picked from the garden one morning, to create an herbaceous culinary feast. On the menu were Nasturtium Appetizers, brightly colored flowers with a sweet walnut filling, a selection of herb butters spread on crackers, and divine Tarragon-Orange Scented Madeleines.

You can meet Kerins on Thursday when she hosts an exclusive Huntington Gardens cooking workshop and dinner, ``Spring Recipes From the Herb Garden,'' from 3 to 6 p.m. A tour and cooking demonstration will be followed by a meal prepared by chef Dory Ford. Call [phone] for more information.

Meanwhile, try these creations from the book.

TARRAGON-ORANGE SCENTED MADELEINES

3/4 cup unsalted butter

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup (scant) granulated sugar

1 cup sifted cake flour

2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel

1 teaspoon finely minced tarragon leaves

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Spray madeleine mold pans with corn oil cooking spray and set aside. Heat butter gently and clarify it by skimming off milk solids, leaving only clear liquid. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs and granulated sugar until mixture is quite frothy, pale yellow and forms a single ribbon-like stream when beaters are lifted from bowl. Add flour, a third at a time, gently folding it in each time. Gently fold in orange peel and tarragon.

Fill each madeleine mold about 1/8-inch from top, as batter will expand somewhat in baking. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven about 10 to 11 minutes, just until golden brown about edges. Remove each madeleine to a wire cake rack, top side down and sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar. Madeleines are best eaten the same day made - and still warm from the oven, if possible. They freeze well, if necessary. Makes 24 madeleines.

NOTE: If you do not have a madeleine pan, you can use a mini-muffin pan or a regular muffin pan, but only fill each cup a third full.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER MADELEINE: 107 calories; 6 grams total fat (4 grams saturated fat); 12 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram protein; 37 milligrams cholesterol; 8 milligrams sodium.

TOMATO ROSEMARY BUTTER

The tomato paste tints the butter a pale salmon color.

1/2 cup (1/4 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

In a bowl, mix butter, tomato paste, lemon juice, rosemary and white pepper. Refrigerate in a covered container several hours, overnight or until ready to serve. Bring to room temperature before serving. Makes about 1/2 cup.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER TABLESPOON: 104 calories; 12 grams total fat (7 grams saturated fat); 0 grams carbohydrate; 0 grams protein; 31 milligrams cholesterol; 18 milligrams sodium.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) An herbal spread at the Huntington Herb Garden. Dishes from top left: Nasturtium Appetizers, Tarragon-Orange Scented Madeleines, Tomato Rosemary Herb Butter on Crackers, and Mozzarella Herb Crostini.

Walt Mancini/Staff Photographer

(2) no caption (Book: ``A Celebration of Herbs: Recipes From the Huntington Herb Garden'')