Contents
BOUQUET GARNI
What is the bouquet garni?
The bouquet garni consists of herbs and spices tied with a cotton thread used to hang in the pan or pot where a broth or soup is being cooked. In this way the hot water gets dissolved in the preparation of these herbal essences that give the dish a so characteristic aroma and flavor. Before serving, it has to be removed from broth.
Using this type of dressing is particularly popular in French cuisine, but it is increasingly being used more frequently in other parts of the Mediterranean.
The name “garnished bouquet” is French because of the number of plants that are tied through the thread. Although the content of herbs is quite variable by region, usually one can use thyme, sage, parsley and bay leaf, although other plants such as rosemary, oregano, savory, basil and even foods such as celery or onion can appear.
Sometimes, instead of attaching the herbs, They are introduced into a bag made of a layer of cheesecloth, that is a sparse fabric made of cotton to allow passage of liquids without dropping the rest of contents.
How to make a bouquet garni?
Ingredients:
1 sprig of dried sage- 1 sprig dried thyme
- 1 sprig of dried rosemary
- 1 sprig of parsley
- 1 stick of celery
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig of oregano
1 sprig of dried Preparation
- Place on the table an extended portion of cotton thread.
- Support on the thread the branches of sage and thyme. Place on them the bay leaves and sprigs of parsley and celery. Place on top a branch of rosemary and oregano.
- Join altogether and tie it tightly. Cut the thread, leaving a fragment about 20 cm pendant
- The bouquet garni is ready to enter into the soup or broth we want to flavour.
How to use
- Place the bouquet in the hot broth, leaving the thread hanging out of the pot. (Be careful not to burn it with the fire)
- Allow the food to absorb the essence of the herbs. Go testing the stew until it has reached the right taste.
- Once ready, remove the bouquet garni by pulling on the thread.
How to make a bouquet garni with cheesecloth?
In this case just buy cheesecloth. Cut the desired size. Enter the herbs in it and tie the top with a cotton thread so that, when cut, we have left a fragment long enough to enter the bag in the stew.
As in the previous case, it must be removed when the food has reached the desired flavor.
Using a cheesecloth allows more crushed herbs, without needing to use the herbs stems as in the previous case, which facilitates the development of the bouquet garni to people who can not collect or buy the whole herbs.
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