No magic or special blend from the spice pack. These fresh green herbs, which have been used in gastronomy for hundreds of years, give food a unique aroma and taste.
There is strength and elegance in simplicity
You know that little bunch of herbs that can lift a soup or sauce wonderfully? He is called bouquet garni (buké gárni) and it’s a French classic.
What exactly is it? Bouquet garni is simple a bundle of herbs ready for cooking. Most often it contains parsley, thyme and bay leaf. You put it in a pot with soup, sauce or stew. Thanks to it, the aroma is gradually released, but remains in the bundle, so you can simply remove it before serving or finishing the dish. No crumbs, no unnecessary mess, just a more pronounced and pleasant taste.
This is not news. Gastronomy has known such use of herbs since at least the 17th century. French chefs experimented with seasonal herbs and discovered that a few sprigs can transform an ordinary broth beyond recognition.
But the bundle of herbs does not remain in the food. It does not become part of dishes, does not color them green, nor does it leave a purely herbal taste.
How to prepare it at home?
For one 3 sprigs of parsley, 1 sprig of thyme, 1 bay leaf are enough for a liter of liquid. You can tie them with kitchen twine or you can also put them in a small tea bag, cheesecloth, anything that will hold the herbs together. Today, a large stainless steel closable strainer is also used, which is directly intended for macerating herbs and spices.
“Using a bunch of herbs is the easiest. You don’t need any gadgets or special tools, a piece of linen butcher’s twine is all you need. It’s cheap and can be used for a lot of other things in the kitchen.” says Nathalie Foster, assistant chef at Le Petit Vendôme restaurant in Paris.
And that’s all? Certainly not. There are really many variations. It can also be useful celery, leek, fennel, pepper, juniper and lemon peel. It just depends on what you have and what you are cooking.
Check out the post from the French Cooking Academy YouTube channel. It’s not a science, but this little trick will do your cooking a big favor.
How to do it in practice?
You insert the bundle into the food you are preparing right at the beginning of cooking and remove it before serving. The question may also be whether it is better to use fresh or dried herbs?
Fresh herbs give the dish a fresh, delicate taste. The aroma is released slowly and the food feels alive. Dried herbs and spices tend to have a more concentrated taste, which is definitely not a bad thing. Sometimes you need exactly this strength or strong sauces.
Therefore, when it comes to quantity, we always give more fresh herbs than dried ones. Add fresh herbs to the dish from the start of cooking, dry herbs can be added for a shorter time.
- The bundle can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator or frozen.
- Modern cooks put the herbs in a bag or cheesecloth to keep the food nice and clean.
- The classics are parsley, thyme, bay leaf, but there are many variations. Experiment.
- Soups, sauces, ragouts, stews – they go well with everything and enhance meals.
