DIY Herb Sachet

DIY Sachet

A sachet is used in the culinary world to infuse favors from herbs, whole spices and cloves of garlic in soups, stews, broths, etc.

Traditionally, you take your bouquet of herbs or spices of your choice (don’t use ground spices unless you like mud) and you wrap them in cheese cloth, tie with butchers or trussing string into a little beggars pouch, and add it to your bubbling dinner.

Only problem is, is cheesecloth is kind of pricey, so many people end up fishing for spices and soggy herbs in their soup.

So instead of waisting that cheese cloth , which could be used in a more useful manner, try coffee filters! They work just as fine, and please opt for the natural ones that aren’t bleached. You will spend half - three fourths the money on 100 coffee filters, compared to one or two cheese cloths (which are disposable).

Really important: When using your sachet make sure it is either tied loosely to the handle of your pot or completely inside the pot! If it’s dangling by an open flame, well… You get the hint!

Below are real questions and comments in red from my readers on Xanga, with my responses in black:

Q: I love the idea of this but wouldn't the coffee filter come apart in hot bubbling water? Cheesecloth is pricey but reusable.

A: I wouldn't recommend using cheesecloth over and over for making stocks or soups, especially if you make chicken soup since it can hold bacteria even when you clean them. 

No, the filters do not come apart. Everything I post I test out myself or use on a regular basis. I use sachets using filters 100% of the time. This is something I always use for flavor infusion. :) You'll get more use out of using the filters than you would for cheesecloth in my opinion.
Coffee is suggested to be brewed at 200-210 (some like it bitter)
Water boils at 212, and when making soup or broth, etc, you only want to bring it to a boil momentarily, then kill the heat down to a slow simmer. Simmer point is 200 degrees. 

This way you don't break apart your ingredients, and causing them to over cook too quickly. 

I use both reusable and disposable filters. Depending on how I want my coffee :) I love my reusable one!
What rips a filter is people over stuffing the heck out of it unnecessarily with coffee. The strength of coffee is determined by temperature of the water, and the amount of time the beans were originally roasted. :) 
When you make a sachet with herbs, you don't need much. Just about what I've shown in the photo is enough for an 8 quart stock pot or double handled pot/dutch oven. 
Hope I  cleared up your concerns! I'm glad you posted them!!!

I never thought of that, i just would put in the veggies and ground spices in my pot and it came out fine

It's a pain  to pick out herbs and little spices if you're making a soup and you want allspice in it, or herbs de Provence, etc. Depending on what you're doing, some is personal preference, and some is very important to prevent choking hazards or from bitterness. 

I don't use ground spices for soups or stews because most of them tend to float up to the top or not leave a clarified mouth feel with the finished product. I buy my spices whole. Toast them on low heat in a pan, and pop them into the grinder. It's a little extra work, but it's cheaper and you'll get the full effect of flavors. 

Enjoy!
Amber~

Properly Made Herb Oil (Basil)

Making an herb infused oil is a little more work than people assume. It also takes proper technique in order to get the most concentrated flavor and colors needed to make a dish really stand out.

I see a dish the same way as I see an outfit. There are a few things that are needed in order to create a foundation of a really good outfit. They may be basic pieces, or eccentric. They should be of good quality and all fit cohesively and properly.

When it comes to accessories, I see things such as an herb infused oil better suited in this category. They're impressive, memorable things that really take a basic outfit or dish to an entire new level.

There are a few DO's and DON'Ts in when it comes to making an herb oil.

DON'T:


Cook herbs and oil together then blend and strain. This will only dilute the flavor from over cooking and deplete the integrity and quality of the oil itself, and it won't be visually appealing anymore. All you're doing is breaking down your herbs and oil. I've seen this on so many blogs, and I roll my eyes every time.

Make an herb oil for long shelf use. Oils should be used within 3 days. remember, herbs do contain water, and the oil will not forever stay emulsified. So once you re shake it, that herb water will have gone rancid. Fat protects food against bacteria. I understand this, but water and fat will separate in due time.

Stuff herbs in a jar of oil and expect them to infuse that way. Once again, some bloggers should delete their posts.

Do not ever make a garlic oil and save for later use. It has botulism written all over that bottle.

DO:


1. Blanch Herbs: Quickly add fresh Basil to boiling water. Leave in no longer than 10 seconds. This will bring out the color of your herbs, and help prevent oxidation (browning). This will also highlight your flavor profile.

2. Ice Bath: Place your basil in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. You want to keep the integrity of your herbs. Please do not skip this step!

3. Emulsify: Take your partially cooked herbs, in this case, basil, and add them to a blender with a little oil. I suggest using canola oil since it's a blank canvas for oils. Blend slowly, and slowly pour in a little more oil as needed. You want your herbs to move around in the blender/food processor. Do this for about a minute. No need to keep blending. It will only break down your oil.

4: Srain: Strain and strain again! Strain until all of your particles are discarded from your oil. You want to be left with a pure, bright, & fragrant product.

5: Garnish: Use your gorgeous oil to dress up your plate like I did here:

Not only will you add another element of contrast to your dish, you will also add a very memorable and fragrant element of flavor. It's a really great technique to know! 

If you want to make an herb oil with herbs such as Rosemary, thyme, etc. I suggest blanching them with flat leaf parsley. The potent herbs will not be over ruled by the mild flavor or aromatics of parsley. It is used all of the time in fine dining for color. 

Plate consists of:  Mascarpone Agnolotti in Roma sauce, basil oil, fried basil and Parmesan crisp

Enjoy! Amber~