"Bouquet Garni"

Used so much in all cooking as a seasoning not a flavoring! Very important in stew, soup sauces, braising, poaching. What is it?Literally means a "Garnished Bouquet" and we all know when it comes to flower what a bouquet is, a variety of flowers, color and scent. Well so is a "Bouquet Garni"! The classical way is to tie together within a 3 inches of celery rib or leek, 2 large sprig each of the following: Thyme, parsley(flat leaves), 2 Bay leaves, 12 peppercorns(tucked them within the rib), and from this you can accustom it to what ever application you desire. Like I sometime add a crushed clove of garlic or a slice of ginger. If I want more of an Asian seasoning a piece of lemon grass. If using dry ingredients one must use a piece of cheese cloth and work with 2 tsp dry thyme, 1 Tb dry Parsley, 2 bay leaves and 12 peppercorns tie together. May I suggest to make 24 or so of them and keep in a mason jar in the pantry so you always have them on hand and can adjust them to what ever application you want. A Tea ball also works well for one time use!

The reason I talk about this, is that I get a lot of question about it and it is very essential to the basic kitchen.

An answer to another question is what is the difference between: flavorings and seasonings

Flavorings: are ingredients that help you change or add a different flavors to what you are cooking per example: Basil, Pesto, Ginger, roasted garlic cilantro, a fair amount of garlic, onions and more.....

Seasonings: are ingredients that you add at the beginning of cooking to give strength to your dish without changing its overall flavors per example: salt, pepper, a little of: lemon juice, garlic, onion, vinegar, mustard. At the end of cooking they also help you adjust the seasonings, and you do that a lot in recipes.

Good lesson learn today I hope.

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Bon Appetit and Happy cooking