Bouquet Garni Enhances The Flavor Of Your Dish – How To Make The Fresh And Dried Versions

You do not have to be a seasoned Chef to come up with flavorful dishes. Neither do you need to study the ways of concocting gourmet foods. In many instances, the right choice of herbs to use with a dish can make a big difference in the taste and flavor. Using “bouquet garni” is one way of doing it.

“Bouquet Garni” – this is a bunch of herbs tied together. This is actually a French way of enhancing the flavor of stew or broth. This bouquet comprises of a collection of herbs. Different herbs are gathered, tied together into a bundle. You can also use cheesecloth, place the herbs inside then fold the small piece of cheesecloth into a sachet.

In making this “bouquet garni”, you can opt for the fresh or dried version. The difference is just on the kind of herbs used. At this point, you should bear in mind that your dried herbs are more potent so be careful in the amount used. Too much can ruin instead of enhancing the flavor.
Bouquet garni with fresh herbs

Gather your fresh herbs and make sure you snip them with long stems. The herbs are parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Wash the herbs until they are free of impurities and dust. The traditional bouquet garni consists of 3 sprigs of parsley, 2 sprigs of thyme and 1 of bay leaf. Tie the stems together with kitchen twine or any piece of clean crocheting thread. Leave with a long tail. You will use this tail to haul the bunch out of your cooking pot.




Bouquet garni with dried herbs

Get a piece of cheese cloth, just enough to wrap the herbs. On top of the cheesecloth, place 1 tablespoon of dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 dried bay leaf. Wrap these herbs in the cheesecloth then tie again with kitchen twine or clean crocheting thread. Once more, you have to leave a good length of tail which will be used to haul the sachet of bouquet garni from the pot.

Place the bouquet garni in your cooking pot hand boil your meat with this. The broth or stock will be very flavorful. Use either the fresh or dried version for your soups, stews, casseroles and other meat dishes.