The new century cookery book

2. Bouquet garni. — This term has been used in several of the foregoing recipes : it is often called a bunch of herbs, or a fagot of sweet herbs, and is much used in all kinds of meat cookery where a savoury flavour is desired. Many people praise the flavour of French soups and sauces, the delicious aromatic flavour of which is generally due to the use of a bouquet of herbs or a bouquet garni, which enters largely into the composition of many of' the French preparations, soups, ragouts, and sauces. To make a bouquet garni, lay upon the left hand a few branches of fresh parsley well washed, and place upon this a sprig of thyme, a sprig of marjoram, a bay leaf, a sprig of basil, a celery leaf, and a small piece of cinnamon stick, also a clove of garlic if liked, together with a small blade of mace and a pepper pod {long pepper). Fold the parsley round the other herbs &c. and tie with string into a neat bundle (bouquet) and use as directed. Excessive use of strong-smelling herbs or spices must in all cases be avoided. 3. Fried Parsley (Persil frit). — Fried parsley is mostly used to garnish fried dishes. Remove the leaves from some fresh curly parsley, wash well in cold water, drain, fold in a cloth and press gently to extract all the water ; then put in a wire frying-basket, have some fat quite hot, fry the parsley for about two minutes (long enough to stiffen), then drain on a cloth and use as required. 1 Calculated as sufficient to make a 4-lb. loat of bread. 4. Chopped Parsley (Persil hache). — Wash some parsley, trim off some of the stalks if coarse, chop as finely as possible, place it in the corner of a clean cloth, fold the end of the cloth, and hold tightly under the water-tap or rinse in a basin of cold water, squeeze out all the water, and put on a plate till wanted. 5. To Chop an Onion. — Peel the onion, cut it in two lengthways, leaving the stalk ends. Commence to slice each half without detaching the slices from the stalk. Keep firmly together, and cut through several times crossways ; then cut down horizontally into fine squares, until you come to the stalk. This is the quickest way to mince an onion, but it requires practice. The other way is to peel and chop in the ordinary manner. When fine enough, wash in cold water, drain on a cloth, and use as required. 6. To Chop Mushrooms. — If freshly-gathered mushrooms are used, peel off the skins, trim the stalks, and wash in cold water ; then chop as required, and use immediately. Preserved mushrooms are well drained, and then chopped as required. 7. Liaison in general. — There are a number of processes of thickening soups and sauces, and these are called “liaisons,” in a culinary sense. A liaison may be composed of flour (fecule, arrowooot, cornflour, creme-de-riz, &c.), diluted in either milk, cream, stock, or water, according to the nature of the soup or sauce for which it is required. A liaison should always be strained before it is mixed with the liquid which requires thickening, and the preparation be well stirred whilst the latter is added. The liaison of egg is frequently used for white purees, blanquettes, fricassees, and white sauces. Only the yolks of eggs should be used, mixed with a small quantity of cream, and well beaten.