Herb Blends and How To Use Them
Sometimes you just get tired of using the same old recipe that tastes the same time after time. But we are all so busy we are looking for easy ways to spice up are repertoire. One way that many cooks forget is to use blends of herbs to add subtle flavor distinctions. The French have been doing this forever.
The French never use just one herb in there dishes but rather a blend of herbs that they call a "bouquets garni". Don't be put off by that fancy name, it simply means a bouquet of herbs. The blend of herbs adds subtle but distinct flavors to every dish you prepare. The trick is to get the right blend for so no one herb dominates the dish. You want the flavors to be delicate.
With just a few herb bouquets you can change the taste of a recipe instantly. Now, old recipes have added spark and will get you plenty of "This is Greats". Your aim here is to create a complex flavor that is balanced making each guest want to instantly take another bite. Of course there is different garni for each recipe. You want to achieve the right herbs and spices that compliment each other. You want to use the right relationship between quantities of each herb you are using.
For meat based casseroles, stews, stocks and soup, the old tried and true garni of parsley, thyme and bay leaf still apply. But go one step further and add a twist of citrus (lime, lemon, or orange) for a little zip. The formula for this garni is 3 sprigs of parsley, 1 sprig of thyme and 1 bay leaf. Get a piece of cooking string and tie the bundle together. Viola, just add the bundle to your dish and remove it before serving. Please use fresh herbs, they're so much better. If you have to use dried, sprinkle the herbs into a patch of cheesecloth and tie the cloth together with the string. .Fine Herbes and Herbes de Provence are to other bouquets that the French use in their cooking.
You can buy these at the grocery store or a gourmet shop but why not make your own. Finely chop fresh oregano, thyme, marjoram, savory, and marjoram for Herbes de Provence. Add one tablespoon of each to your dish. This combination can also be used in salads, meat dishes and vegetables.
The English version of Herbes de Provence is sage, rosemary, marjoram, Italian parsley chives, tarragon and thyme. Mix them all together and use on lamb, pork or in stuffing.
For Fine Herbes, mix together chopped parsley, tarragon, chives and chervil. Experiment with the quantities. Be adventurous! Keep careful notes when you are experimenting so that you can duplicate the successes and toss the disasters. Remember that creating beautiful tasty dishes is a more of a craft that an art.
You will need to identify the flavor and strength of each herb so that you can group them into either mild or robust. Examples of mild herbs are basil, bay leaf, chervil dill, and marjoram. These herbs combine well with most other herbs and their flavors become milder during the cooking process. With mild herbs you can use larger amounts and with more variation. They can also be used in salads and other dishes where the leaves are not cooked or briefly cooked.
Your robust herbs stand up to cooking. Often, they are used for braised or roasted meat or domestic fowl, soups, stews and even grilled foods. You will have work on the recipe since sometime the herbs alter subtly during the cooking process. They will either become more muted or in some cases intensify. They can always be combined with the mild herbs. Robust herbs include sorrel, rosemary, garlic, oregano, sage, tarragon and thyme.
Another cool easy to use fresh herbs is to flavor oil or vinegar with a blend of either mild or robust herbs. You will need pretty glass jars (preferable dark) and a tight seal. Simply put your combination of herbs in the jar, add the oil or vinegar, seal and let it sit for several weeks. Oils should be stored in the refrigerator. The herbs will add a subtle flavor to the liquid and will be delicious in a variety of ways.
You can make really healthy tinctures with fresh herbs. But I would urge you to master the cooking with herbs before you branch out to other areas. By know exactly how each herb flavors each dish you will instinctually know what to use in tinctures.
Again be adventurous, mix and match, keep trying new things and keep notes so your successes can be repeated. After you have mastered cooking with herbs, who knows? Maybe you will start an herb garden so you will always have fresh delicious herbs on hand.
Here's to Good Cooking!
Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
(ArticlesBase SC #33328)
Article Tags:
herbs
,recipe
,spice
,Spices
,Fresh Herbs
,flavor
,cooks
,blends of herbs
,bouquet garni
,herb bouquet
,garni
,fine Herbes
,Herbes de Provence
,gourmet shop
,mild herbs
,robust herbs
,flavored oil
,flavored vinegar
Storing Fresh Herbs
Danny Boome of Rescue Chef describes various herbs and how they can add cooking flavor, and shows you how to properly store fresh herbs in your kitchen. (01:58)
A Guide to Italian Herbs
Dan invites you into his kitchen and shares some terrific tips on using herbs in your cooking - which herbs to use with what dish, the various flavors and aromas, and different uses and combinations for different herbs. (02:07)
Lemon Herb Chicken with Roasted Red Potatoes
Direct from our DeliciouslyYours kitchens, watch Pam Ofstein prepare this great entrée, accompanied by roasted red potatoes and green beans. It's quick and easy to prepare, and features a combination of great, simple flavors. And the best part: Only (02:00)
Make Potato Salad with Bacon & Mustard Vinaigrette
by The Viking Cooking School. Flavored with bacon, Dijon vinaigrette, fresh herbs and just a little tomato, this potato salad is a tasty twist on a summer classic. (04:16)
Absinthe Traditional Serving at Lounge on 20
Watch as the Lounge on 20w 1050 20th and K Streetw prepares the mysterious drink absinthe. Absinthe is a highly alcoholicw anise-flavored spirit derived from the wormwood herbs Mixed with water and a sugar cubew the lounge shows the traditional way of preparing it and mixing it in a cocktailq Video by Scott Rq Craig q Sacramento Beeq To see a higher resolution videow please visit http:qqvideosqsacbeeqcom (03:04)
All good cooks want their dishes to have distinctive flavors. To achieve this you should use fresh or dried herbs for a subtle change in taste. This article shows you how to use herbs to liven up your culinary repertoire.
The Atkins and South Beach diets are two very popular and remarkably similar diets that focus on low carbohydrate intake. Both diets were developed by medical doctors who wanted to get away from the opinion generally prevalent, that fats in the diet were primarily to blame for obesity, which was, and still is, a major problem in the population.
Reducing your daily calorie input from the food you eat is a well known strategy based on the scientific principle that the amount of calories you consume each day should be no more than the amount you use each day, rather they should be less. If you consistently take in slightly less calories than you expend then you should gradually shed weight as your body uses its reserves.
Rather than focussing just on losing weight you should perhaps be thinking about losing weight while remaining healthy. This is the sensible way of looking at losing weight, and, immediately cuts out fad diets, crash diets, and pills of all sorts.
If you have previously tried to lose weight and failed why was that? Was it perhaps that you didn’t really feel motivated enough and your initial enthusiasm began to wane after a couple of weeks when it seemed you had achieved only a disappointingly small amount of weight loss? Was it perhaps that you found your chosen diet too difficult or too time consuming to follow?
If you are one of the many people trying to lose weight, have been dieting for a few weeks, but seen no apparent weight loss, it could be due, in part at least, to hidden calories. If you are on a proper, healthy diet, then you can expect it to take a few weeks before any noticeable difference occurs. Your weight can vary by up a couple of pounds from week to week anyway depending on various factors such as hormones, so until you are confident that you have lost 3-4 pounds you will not be happy.
Fad diets and crash diets, such as the cabbage soup diet and Hollywood diet, are not only unhealthy but also tend to result in rebound weight gain. In other words, the weight you have lost is soon regained, either because the weight loss was mainly water, soon inevitably restored by the body, or because you cannot keep up a severely restrictive food diet for ever, or even for very long.
Winter is the season of the time everywhere dry skin hits many harsh while many others are prone to it, therefore ensuing in a amendment in ones skin attention routine to keep and take attention of our skin through the crunchy, cold winter months. Here are my top tips on winter skin attention:
Warming up before you begin a session in the gym or a game of squash or tennis is important because it helps to protect you from injury by increasing blood supply to the muscles and loosening joints. This allows you maximum speed and agility in your game or maximum strength for weight lifting.
Cruise lines now offer a plethora of activities for you to enjoy on your next cruise vacation. Keeping up with all the modern technology will be sure to satisfy all cruisers needs while still enabling them to live the cruise experience to the fullest.
Indoor Gardening can be peaceful and a great hobby. Spruce up your home with a beautiful indoor garden.
Container gardening is a fun and fulfilling hobby. With just a few container gardening tips you will be wildly successful.
Tomato container gardening is a way to beat the high price of tomatoes in the grocery store. It is fun, easy to do and takes up very little space.
Container gardening ideas are easy to come up with if you do a little research. Some good container gardening ideas are to plant a variety of flowers with vines that hang over the side. Another container gardening idea is to plant fruit trees, vegetables and herbs. Use your imagination to come up with container gardening ideas.
Many people think that their gardening days are over when the move to an apartment or condo. Container Gardening is the answer to their gardening urge either in their home or their on patio.
Herb container gardening in your home is simple and exciting. The herbs will not only enhance your cooking skills but they will also brighten up your kitchen.
A garden gift basket is the perfect gift for a friend or relative who is an avid gardener. With a little imagination you can make up a basket that will live up to their expertise or garden theme.

