As cooks we are always looking
for easy ways to increase the flavour and interest of our
dishes. One of the secret, healthy and nutritious, ways of doing
this is to use blends of herbs, spices and flavourings.
These blends of herbs and spices are known as bouquets garnis.
The French term for a 'bundle of herbs.' But they are a lot more
than a mere bundle of herbs.
These secret blends are the most powerful culinary weapon
in the busy cook's repertoire.
A weapon that will assist you in creating a nearly endless variety
of nutritious gourmet meals.
A weapon that will help you on your way to becoming a
domestic goddess in no time at all.
It's easy to make your own bouquet garni. Let's start
with the traditional bouquet garni.
A simple but flavourful "broth posy" consisting of:
-
3 stalks parsley,
- 1 sprig thyme and
-
1 bay leaf
Tie the herbs
together in a little bundle with a piece of sting. Add the bouquet garni to
any stew,
sauce or casserole you're preparing and remove the bouquet garni before serving.
You can use either fresh or dried herbs.
Other well known traditional bouquet garni's are
fines herbes
and herbes de Provence
Here's how to make your own herbes de Provence
In Provence they sell dried, herbes de Provence in little terracotta pots
topped with the local patterned cloth, or in brightly coloured bags of the
same material.
Make, and use, this secret blend with fresh herbs - it proves that
fresh is always best. It also proves the culinary guideline of “There are no
rules” when it comes to using herbs to enhance your cooking.
Mix one tablespoon each of finely chopped fresh oregano, savory, thyme, marjoram and
rosemary.
This traditional French bouquet garni will add real French flavour to any
Provencal dish. If you’re not into French cuisine use it to complement your salads, vegetables, meat
dishes and even hot desserts.
Your aim in making a bouquet garni should be to produce a balanced,
complex flavour that makes your diner want to take another bite, not
analyze it. In other words - don't overpower your dish with the bouquet
garni.
How do you make your own bouquets garni’s?
The easiest way to start is to
copy successful recipes. How do you find the success stories? Simply by studying
recipes and watching cooking programs on television.
Look for recipes that use more than three herbs, spices or flavourings.
Even though the recipe, in almost all instances, won’t state that, the
combination of herbs and spice they are using is a bouquet garni.
Remember. For the best results never limit yourself to only one or two
herbs per dish. Rather use three or four, plus a spice or two. It's the
secret to greater depth in your finished dishes.
Be patient with yourself and you will develop your own tried and tested "universal"
bouquets garnis that you can use with just about everything.
I love infusing my universal bouquets garnis in
vinegar and olive oil as well. That way they become truly universal, and
they are popular gifts.
You will also find more recipes and ideas in your
monthly edition of Timeless Herb Secrets. If you are not a subscriber
to this free email newsletter you're missing out. Big time.
But don't just copy successful
bouquet garni's. Take your culinary adventure one step
further. Start by changing proportions, next try to add, delete or
substitute the herbs in your bouquet garni. You can also try the same bouquet
garni with different dishes.
If you would like to explore the ultimate in culinary adventure
creating your own bouquet garnis from scratch is for you. With a mere
handful of different herbs and spices you can create a nearly endless variety of
nutritious gourmet dishes.
Go get some compliments!
More Cooking With Herbs Lessons From The SA Herb Academy
