When you look at the term bouquet garni, you immediately think of marriage, right? Wrong! This type of bouquet is actually made from various herbs and used in culinary preparations. It can be the differential to take your kitchen out of boredom and innovate at the time of seasoning. Despite the difficult name and French origin, don’t be alarmed, it is super practical both when assembling it and when using it in cooking.
This special bouquet of herbs is used mainly in broths and soups, serving to flavor and flavor dishes. In addition, as the spices are tightly tied in the bouquet, you prevent unnecessary herbs from appearing floating in your recipe. Check out:
What is bouquet garni
Bouquet garni is a bunch of herbs tied in the shape of a bouquet of flowers by a string and used in cooking in general. It can also be found wrapped in other materials, such as gauze or sachets. The secret of this set of seasonings is knowing how to combine aromas and herbs according to what will be prepared, such as stews or soups.
It is common to find this bouquet in recipes for traditional French dishes, due to its origin. Another special detail is that it works better for slow cooking dishes, as it allows the bouquet to remain in the broth for a longer time. His most common recipe calls for leeks, celery, thyme and bay leaf.
How to make bouquet garni
Ingredients
- 3 celery stalks
- Dark green leek leaves
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 sprig of fresh basil
- bay leaves
- culinary string
Step by step
- Wrap the green part of the leek loosely on top of a bay leaf;
- Next, place a sprig of rosemary, a sprig of thyme and some parsley next to the bay leaf;
- Tie everything together using a large piece of cooking string.
The final tip is to leave the piece of string that wraps the bouquet very long and tie it to the handle of the pan during cooking. Thus, it will be easy to remove it at the end of the preparation.
Other ways to make bouquet garni
If you don’t like the traditional bouquet garni recipe, don’t worry, there are many other options. Check out some tips below:
1. Aromatic bouquet garni with gauze
With thyme, black pepper grains and some stalks that would otherwise be discarded, you can flavor your dish. This model with gauze is perfect to prevent parts of the bouquet from coming off during cooking.
2. Classic bouquet garni with celery
Discover the classic French recipe for bouquet garni here! She takes bay leaf, parsley, celery, thyme and leek, however, don’t be afraid to innovate in your version by adding herbs to your taste. This recipe is perfect for soups and broths.
3. Bouquet garni with leek
In this recipe, the novelty is the parsley, which appears to bring even more flavor to the recipe. In addition, this option is smaller, ideal for use in preparations for few people.
4. Bouquet garni with oregano
Unlike the others, this recipe does not have leaves wrapping the entire bunch of herbs. The end result is very reminiscent of traditional bridal bouquets, where the idea for the name of this culinary preparation flavoring came from.
In short: bouquet garni is perfect for allowing yourself to create. Choose the ingredients according to the preparation and rock the kitchen!