How to Make a Bouquet Garni

Fresh herbs with twine to make a bouquet garni.

How to Make a Bouquet Garni

You don't really need a specific Bouquet Garni recipe, but once I show you how to make a bouquet garni, all you need is your favorite fresh herbs, a length of kitchen twine, and your imagination.

Course Soup

Cuisine American, French

Prep Time 2

Total Time 2

Servings serving

Calories 13kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Equipment

kitchen twine (this is my favorite one; see note 1)
Cheesecloth (see note 2)

Ingredients

4-6 Parsley stems
1 Bay leaf
2-3 Fresh thyme sprigs or any other green herb: sage, rosemary, tarragon, basil, cilantro, oregano, chervil
1 teaspoon Black peppercorns optional
cotton or hemp unwaxed twine
4" square of cheesecloth optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Bouquet garni without peppercorns:

Place a length of twine about 4 to 6 inches long on a work surface (long enough to wrap around everything and tie easily). On top of the twine, add the parsley stems, bay leaf, and fresh thyme sprigs in parallel next to each other. Tie the wine into a bundle and knot to secure.

Bouquet garni with peppercorns:

To incorporate peppercorns, lay a 4-inch by 6-inch double-layered square of cheesecloth on a work surface. Add parsley stems, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and peppercorns to the center of the square. Gather up the corners to form a bundle and tie with twine to secure.

Notes

Kitchen twine: Seek out unbleached cotton kitchen twine, kitchen string, or butcher’s twine, which is strong enough to hold the bouquet together as it simmers. You can buy twine at retailers like HomeGoods or on Amazon; here's my favorite twine.
Cheesecloth: This is optional and only required if you add smaller aromatic elements such as whole spices. Otherwise, simply use the kitchen twine to tie the ends of the herbs together. Or substitute muslin cloth.
Yield: This bouquet garni method makes one herb bunch, enough to infuse one recipe such as a soup, stew, or batch of lentils.
Storage: Fresh elements of a bouquet garni, such as parsley stems or fresh thyme, should be stored in plastic wrap in the refrigerator or freezer.

Nutrition