French for “garnished bouquet,” a bouquet garni (pronounced boo-kay-gahr-nee) is a classic herb mixture used to make soups, stocks, sauces and stews. The herbs are bundled and tied before being thrown in with the other ingredients, adding an herbaceous fragrance to whatever’s cooking. The beauty of a bouquet garni is the ease with which a cook can remove the wilted herbs before serving, without having to fish around in the pot.

While the herbs could be left in the pot, removing them improves the texture and presentation of the final dish, and leaves an element of surprise for your diners who will need to guess the secret to the layered flavors. Fresh herbs wilt and discolor after being left to cook over a period of time and hard, bitter whole spices and floating bits of dry herbs detract from the presentation of a finished dish.

Herb and Spice Combinations

Used in French Provençal cooking, a bouquet garni traditionally comprises a combination of fresh parsley, thyme and bay leaf that's tied together with kitchen twine. The herbs can then be switched up to suit any particular dish:

• For the classic combination of fresh herbs favored by French cooks, think 3-1-1: three sprigs of parsley with stems, a sprig of thyme and one bay leaf is enough to flavor about one liter of liquid.
• A stalk of celery or a leek top adds sweetness, while a slice of lemon peel or some fennel fronds enliven the pot. In Provence, it is not uncommon to add a slice or two of dried orange peel.
• Unexpected flavor notes can come from adding a stalk of lemongrass or nubs of ginger.
• Whole dry spices like peppercorns, juniper berries, star anise and cloves work well in rich braises.
• Herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine such as licorice root, honey dates and ginseng may also be used in an unconventional bouquet garni, like in this recipe for Asian Beef Bourguignon.
  
  

A blend of two or three herbs is usually enough to add balanced flavor to stocks and light soups, though richer long-simmered stews could benefit from up to five herbs and spices. 

Bundling Methods

Long-stemmed fresh herbs can be tied together easily with a length of kitchen twine—just be sure to tie them tightly as fresh herbs shrink after cooking. Tying the other end of the twine to the pot handle makes the bouquet garni even easier to fish out at the end of cooking.

Dry herbs and leaves may require a little more finesse. A resourceful idea is to use what you might already have on hand. Vegetable scraps like the tough outer leaves of leeks make a nifty wrap for dry bay leaves and other aromatics that can’t be tied together with string. These can even be wrapped in a strip of bacon.

Alternatively, a square of cheesecloth or muslin gathered up at the corners and tied off at the top makes a handy pouch for loose whole spices like peppercorns and cloves. A coffee filter or tea strainer would work in a pinch as well.

Try adding a bouquet garni to any basic stock recipe for a pop of flavor or make store-bought stock your own by infusing a unique combination of herbs.

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