18 bouquet garni recipes

A traditional seasoning that is perfect for meats and vegetables.

Bordelaise sauce is the classic French red wine reduction with shallots, bouquet garni, bone marrow, and veal stock. The mother sauce companion to a perfect steak. Restaurant-grade in 30 minutes.

Fish fumet made from sole or salmon bones simmered with white wine, bouquet garni, onion, and carrot, then strained and reduced by half. A foundational French stock for seafood sauces and soups.

Irish kidney soup, a slow-simmered offal classic with veal or beef kidney, beef stock, sherry, and bouquet garni. The pub-style soup of old Ireland.

Light vegetable stock: a simple homemade base of onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and bouquet garni simmered for an hour. The clean vegetarian foundation for soups, sauces, and risottos.

A velvety, creamy garlic soup loaded with 2 cups of garlic and caramelized onions, thickened with stale French bread and finished with half and half. Inspired by New Orleans chef Susan Spicer. Even better the next day.

Slow-braised red cabbage with apples, juniper berries, caraway seeds, and malt vinegar. A traditional German-style side dish simmered for nearly two hours until silky and sweet-tart.

Escargots a la Cauderan: petits-gris snails braised in a ham, shallot, and white wine sauce from the Bordeaux tradition. A rustic French appetizer cooked low and slow.

Snails Cauderan is a traditional Bordeaux escargot recipe braised with country ham, shallots, white wine, and bouquet garni. Petit-gris snails cooked low and slow in a rich, savory sauce.

Cross rib roast braised with vegetables, black olives, tomatoes, red wine, and a bouquet garni for 2 hours until fork-tender. The strained pan juices make a self-thickening gravy with no extra steps.

End-of-month vegetable soup made with whatever is in the fridge: cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery, bacon ends, and a bouquet garni simmered in white wine. A frugal, flexible pantry-clearing soup.

Seared cross rib roast braised with tomatoes, black olives, mushrooms, and a bouquet garni in red wine and stock. French-inspired pot roast with a built-in vegetable gravy.

Swordfish Provencale braised in a French bouquet garni-perfumed tomato sauce with mushrooms, peppers, and white wine. A classic southern French main dish topped with pimentos and capers.

Venison steak braised in Burgundy wine with tomatoes, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and a bouquet garni, finished with sauteed mushrooms. A rich Southern wild game stew served over wild rice.

This easy version of the classic pepper sauce clearly illustrates why some old-time combinations just cannot be improved upon. Serve this with beef or game, especially pheasant.

A silky puréed leek and rice soup with tender chicken breast, brightened by fresh lemon juice and bouquet garni. Light, elegant, and naturally creamy without a drop of cream.