[Intro music]
Bouquet Garni is one of the basic preparations called for in recipes again and again.
Although, there is no generic recipes as you can add herbs that you want.
A basic bouquet garni is usually made of parsley, thyme,
bay leaf, peppercorn and green leek.
It is added to the preparation and removed before serving
once it has simmered long enough, to infuse the dish with its rich aroma.
I recommend you to taste the dish before adding the bouquet garni
and after, when you remove it.
To find those nice, subtle flavour of that small bundle.
There are different ways to make the bouquet garni
and that is what I am going to show you now.
Before making your bouquet garni, you have to decide how big it’s going to be.
A small pot will require a smaller bouquet garni and
a larger pot with more liquid will require a large bouquet garni.
Let me show you how to do.
To make a bouquet garni with a cheese cloth.
Open your cheese cloth. So here I have about 60cm² cheese cloth,
which is about may be a foot and a half square.
And place it down on your cutting board.
So on your cheese cloth you are going to put..
I am going to separate the parsley, normally we use only the sprigs
because you will use the leaf to chop them to garnish your dish.
So typically, in a bouquet garni we don’t put the leaves. We put only the sprigs.
Ok. However, if you want to put a few leaves, its fine too.
So break the stems. If you want to put the leaves, just break the leaves.
This is a large bay leaf. So 1 or 2 bay leaves.
Get a smaller one. A few thyme sprigs. Break them up a little bit.
Smells good.
Of course before using your herbs, you have to wash them thoroughly.
Right. And finally, I need a little bit of leek.
So I am using the small green part of the leek in my bouquet garni
and I am going to break it into little pieces. You don’t have to chop it.
If you are using leek as an aromatic garnish outside the bouquet garni,
you can put a little bit less in your bouquet garni.
So place the leek and add the peppercorns.
So typically, for small bouquet garni about 8-12 peppercorns.
But depending on their size. Those are pretty small, so I would put may be 14.
Ok. Here we go. And then bring your thing together and we are going to tie it up in a little bundle.
So, here we go. Then we are going to get the piece of kitchen string.
So twist, place your kitchen string between your thumb and index finger.
Here we go. And tie it around. A few times.
Then with the string here, make a double knot to well secure the bouquet garni.
Cut the string off.
Cut the string, but leave some length,
that way you can tie it to the handle of the pot.
We can remove some excess here. And voila.
First bouquet garni tied up in a piece of cheese cloth.
Another great way to make your bouquet garni
without looking everywhere in your house for cheese cloth, is to use a big tea bowl.
Open the tea bowl and place your ingredients in it.
So break your leaves here.
This one is made in mesh, so it would infuse very easily and distribute
all the aromas of the bouquet garni into the stock of the liquid.
Break the parsley stems. If you want to use the leaves, break them up.
Then little bit of leek.
Some bouquet garni could have some adaptation to the flavour
of the region such as a provencalé bouquet garni
with a little bit of rosemary sprig in it.
Or other herbs. It’s really upto you and depending on your recipe.
Now I have to add the peppercorns.
If I was doing a bouquet garni for may be a vegetable stock,
you can also put some coriander seeds if you want or may be put juniper berry that you will crush.
And that would infuse also. So, you know bouquet garni is the base,
then you can build up your flavours. Close it and lock it.
Voila! You will never look for cheese cloth again.
The best of, just wash it in the dishwasher and use it
and use it and use it all the time.
Well, you don’t have a cheese cloth or a tea bowl.
Relax! You can still make a bouquet garni. Let me show you how.
Take some large leek leaves, green part only.
Blanch your leek leaves for a few seconds in boiling water.
Just to make that soft and flexible, right. Take them out.
Refresh in cold water. Drain and take them to your work area.
Place one leaf on your cutting board into a cross pattern.
So put them down and overlap them slightly here.
I am using two leaves on each side.
If your leaves or leeks are quite large, one may be sufficient for each side.
To the centre, place some bouquet garni ingredients,
making sure they are not too wide. So break them up.
Parsley. Your peppercorns. And then, fold over.
And same thing here. Take some kitchen string to secure it.
And then, 3 knots. 1. 2. 3. And then cross wide.
1. 2. 3. Very nice. A knot. Double knot first to secure it.
And then you can make it pretty.
A variation of this method is to make it into a bundle.
So you keep one piece of leek, you are going to put all the ingredients in there.
Little bit of peppercorns. And then, we are going to roll it pretty tightly.
Pick up some string. And tie it up all around, very tight.
Make a knot and again double knot.
Leave some length before cutting the string
so that you can attach it to the handle of the pot.
Here we have 4 ways to make a bouquet garni to enhance, full of flavour.
Your soup, stock, stew, sauces and so on.
If you decide to do a loose bouquet garni, it’s possible.
You won’t tie them up like this.
Here the purpose is really to be able to remove that at any point
because we are not going to serve them such as in a stew like Coq au Vin.
We are not going to serve, we are not going to strain the sauce,
so you want to be able to remove the bouquet garni at any time.
In the case of the fish stock, for instance,
you will be straining your stock and everything.
So you can decide to have a loose bouquet garni.
Where you just put everything in a bowl and then beat when it’s time to add it. Easy!