Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-18
Table and Kitchen.
The Subtleties Which Provoke a Fine
Appetite

the recipes, which are often very simple
and excellent. We are frequently asked to
explain the meaning Of bouquet garni'
and such like terms which confront the in
experienced cook
Bouquet garni is term very frequently
used in both English and French cooking
REGIMES as it expresses in two words what
would otherwise require many lines to ex-
plain To define it, in a general way, it
means, in fact, bunch of savory herbs
put into a soup, stew or sauce in order to
give a piuuant flavor. 1t is taken out of the
liquor in which 1t has been cooked before
the SOUP or sauce is finished and sent to
the table. 1t is tied up IN little bag or
piece of thin muslin, which is tied securely
round the top with piece Of Irvine or tape.
For convenience, the string should be long
enough for the end to fall over the edge
of the boiler or saucepan, so that it can be
taken out without trouble or disturbing
other contents of the pot or saucepan.
In using a bouquet garni, Judgment and
discretion must be exercised in suiting the
tastes of persons for whom the food is being
prepared, and also in order to allow variety
if these dishes are frequently served. Some
ingredients should be omitted and others
introduced, and the quantity of stock or
gravy to be favored must be also con-
sidered
The simplest bouquet garni'' consists of
one ounce of green parsley, a sprig of
quantity of rosemary, one medium-sized
onion with three whole cloves stuck in it.
a long pepper or a few peppercOrns, a dried
capsicum or two, a small piece of mace
and quarter of lemon. Another rather
more difficult, perhaps, to obtain except in
large city markets is as follows: Lemon
thyme, sweet basil, mint, dill, rosemary
bruised coreander seeds, carraway seeds
cloves, a few chives or eschalots, or a
small Glove of garlic, half a lemon and
Housewives VI
small plot of ground may have a kitchen
garden where they may cultivate all the
savory herbs required for their own use
and make quite a neat little sum from the
sale of their surplus stock to their less for
tunate neighbOrs.
A very good bouquet garni" for stews or
hashes consists of one ounce of lemon peel
one ounce sweet basil, two ounces each of
sweet marjoram and thyme. dried
and mixed together and kept in a glass jar,
ready for use and handy in any quantity
required
The bouquet garni found in our markets
and known as pot herbs usually con-
siSts of a sprig of parsley, a small green
onion, in summer, a sprig of thyme, slice
of carrot and rather unsavory-looking
piece of celery.
Bouquet garni'' is also known as a
'fagot of herbs.
Herbs are best when they can be used
fresh. as then only can their full, rich
flavor be obtained. But when they cannot
be had in this way they will answer nicely
when dried.
Gather when they begin to bloom. wash
and tie in punches: cover with netting or
very thin cheesecloth and hang them up,
with leaves downward, to dry. When per-
fectly dry pick off the leaves and put them
In small glass jars, cork tightly and label
each kind if YOU wish to keep them sepa-
rate and when mixed it is best to take the
same precaution. as You may not remember
the combination.
Kitchen Bouquet.
This is convenient preparation to have
in the pantry for 1avoring and enriching
sauces, stews, &c.
Take one onion, one carrot, one celery
root, one sweet potato, one parsnip, one red
pepper, one shallot and from one to four
Glove garlics, according to taste. Remove
the seeds from the pepper, peel the carrot,
parsnip. onion and potato and chop all the
yeget bles very fine. Add three large bay
leaves, quarter of a teaspoonful each of
cloves, mace, cinnamon and allspiee. Mix
all together and season with salt and pep
per. Put a layer of the vegetables in the
bottom of a saucepan, sprinkle with brown
sugar. Then add another layer of vege-
tables. then sugar, and continue in this way
until all is in. Bake In a quick oven and
when a rich brown add half a cup of cold
water; place on top of stove and stir and
cook for fifteen minutes or until You have
4 rich brown syrup. Strain off the sauce
and bottle, corkng tightly. Keep In a cool
place. A little of this added to a soup,
stew or sauce will give color and flavor.
Herb Salt.
Take bay leaves, sweet basil, marjoram
and thyme In equal quantities. Place them
on dish in a very moderately heated oven,
leaving the door open. When dry enough,
grind or rub them fine, using a small spice
mill II you have one. Rub through wire
sieve, allowing to eight ounces of the herbs
two tablespoonful of salt, half a teaspoon
full ground cloves, half teaspoonful all
spice, half an ounce of white pepper,
half teaspoonful ground mace, one nutmeg
grated, one tablespoonful celery salt. When
we'll mixed, put into wide mouthed bottles
and cork tightly and keep in dry place.
Fine Herbs.
This term used generally in recipes means
parsley only, but practically 1t is mixture
Of parsley, tarragon, chervil, shallots,
chves, basil and mushrooms, chopped and
sweated in fat. The following is a good
formula: Place an ounce of butter In a
with six shallots chopped fine. Set
over the fire and cook three minutes, then
add half a cup of finely minced mushrooms
and sweat for ten minutes; remove from
the fire. Dip two sprays Of parsley In boil
ing water, quickly removing them and
mincing very fine; add tablespoonful to
other materials, season with half a tea
spoonful Of salt and same Of nutmeg. If
you do not use at once. put into a small jar
and cover with melted paraffin.
Spiced Salt.
This is Durand's recipe for Spiced salt:
Take two ounces salt, four heads of cloves,
wo nutmegs six bay leaves, one stick Gin
namon. four whole peppercorns, a drachm
Of basil leaves and the same quantity of
seeds. Pound in a mortar and
rass through a fine sieve Keep tightly
corked in bottles.
Another variation is tc dry in a warm
oven some thyme, sweet marjoram, paTs-
ey and finely Clipped yellow rind of lemon;
pound 1t in mortar and rub through
sieve. add teaSpoonful of celery salt and
cork tightly in bottles
Fondant.
Do not attempt to make up more than
pound of sugar at one boiling, as a larger
quantity is difficult to handle. Fut a pound
Of best graduated sugar in clean, smooth
saucepan, add half pint Of boiling water
and stir until the sugar is disSolVed; then
remove the spoon and be careful that you
do not disturb the syrup while it is boiling
or 1t Will granulate. AS it iboils, little crys-
tails will adhere to the side.of the saucepan;
these will also cause the, syrup to gran
ulate on cooling if allowed to 6aH back in
the mixture, therefore have small cloth