Bouquet garni
The bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs usually tied together with string and mainly used to prepare soup, stock, casseroles and various stews. The bouquet is cooked with the other ingredients, but is removed prior to consumption. Liquid remaining in the bouquet garni can be wrung out into the dish.
There is no standard recipe for bouquet garni, but most French recipes include thyme, bay leaf and parsley. Depending on the recipe, the bouquet garni may also include basil, burnet, chervil, rosemary, peppercorns, savory and tarragon. Vegetables such as carrot, celery, celeriac, leek, onion and parsley root are sometimes included in the bouquet. In Provence, it is not uncommon to add a slice or two of dried orange peel.
Sometimes, the bouquet is not bound with string, and its ingredients are filled into a small sachet, a piece of celery stalk, a net, or even a tea strainer, instead. Traditionally, the aromatics are bound within leek leaves, though a cheesecloth, muslin or coffee filter tied with butcher twine can be used instead.Dishes made with a bouquet garni include:
