How to Cook Like a French Woman

French women are not only endlessly chic, most of them can cook. They have a knack for turning even a simple every night meal into something special. Today I'm sharing How to Cook Like A French Woman by using one of their simple secrets to delicious food: The Bouquet Garni. A bouquet garni is a home made bundle of mixed fresh herbs, tied with kitchen string, that you add to your pot and let simmer. In France, cooks add it to all of their soups, stews, sauces and ragouts. The most simple pasta sauce becomes magical when you let that little bouquet of herbs simmer in the pan. INGREDIENTS: The most typical herbs used in a bouquet garni are thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. You simply snip a few stems of each, add a bay leaf or two, and voila! You are on your way to better cooking, like a French woman. : ) I usually also add flat parsley, dragon, chives and sage. But anything goes. Just tie them all together with some butchers twine and drop in the pot. . Some chefs tie the bundle in a cheesecloth square and tie that up, but I find the little "bouquet" to be just as practical. It's easily removed once you have simmered it along with your dish. t's still a little chilly here, so simmering a huge pot of pasta sauce with the addition of a bouquet garni makes the whole house smell so good. This week I'm adding more of the gorgeous French Country antique kitchen wares that has arrived from France. That, and the colder weather, makes me want to cook up a storm. {Besides, Mr. FGH is European, and he doesn't really do take-out!!} Not only do French women know how to cook up a storm - they have kitchens filled with beautiful, usable tools and antique bowls, rolling pins, and a wooden spoon or two from Grand-maman.

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Do you make your own version of Bouquet Garni? What different herbs do you add to it?

A BIENTOT

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