Tossing the Bouquet

     Bouquet Garni is the French term for "garnished bouquet."  (The Spanish version is farcellet.)  It refers to sprigs of herbs that are bundled together to prepare soups, stock, stews and braises by gently infusing a mild aromatic flavor into the food and is cooked with the other ingredients but removed prior to consumption.

     That all sounds well and good, until one looks for a specific list of herbs and spices to use.  That's because there isn't one.  While it is generally accepted that thyme and bay leaf are common components, additional herbs can include at the chef's discretion: parsley, basil, burnet, chervil, tarragon, savory, marjoram and rosemary.  Peppercorns can also be added, along with certain vegetables like: carrot, celery with leaves, celeriac, leek, onion, garlic and parsley root.  But upon further research I've also found recipes that invite sage, cilantro, lemon and lime zest, orange peel, potato, cloves, coriander seed and oregano to the party.

 

     

     And the options also include the method used to contain the varied elements of the bouquet garni.  They can simply be bound with kitchen string (butcher's twine) or contained in a cheesecloth sachet or even a large tea strainer.  The traditional method, however, is to wrap them in a leek leaf and secure it with string.



  So the next time you plan to prepare a boeuf bourguignon or pot au feu, be sure to enhance its flavor with your own customized bouquet!