Bouquet Garni - Tip of the Day

by Adeena Sussman, Posted Feb 26th 2010 @ 9:00AM

What's the French secret to flavorful soups, stews and braises ? It's all tied up.

Traditionally wrapped in a cheesecloth and secured with kitchen twine, a bouquet garni is a collection of herbs and spices that lends elemental flavor to many dishes. Though many permutations exist, the traditional combination is parsley, thyme, dried bay leaf and peppercorns. Another way to wrap a bouquet garni? Place the essential ingredients inside a large piece of the green top from a bunch of leeks, roll up the little package, and tie with twine.

However you wrap it, leave a length of string so you can easily remove the bouquet garni once your stock, soup or stew has benefited from its flavorful contents.

Filed Under: Tip of the Day
Tags: bay leaf, BayLeaf, bouquet garni, BouquetGarni, cheesecloth, herbs, leeks, parsley, peppercorn, thyme