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To most people, a garniture or garnish means
a sprig of parsley added to the plate at the last minute, almost as an
afterthought, to provide a little color to the dish. In many professional
kitchens, however, a garniture is an important and integral part of
the dish. It is the vegetables or other ingredients added to a stew,
braised dish, roast or sautéed piece of meat or fish that give the dish
its specific character and name. When the garniture is changed - even if
the basic technique of cooking the meat, and the meat itself, remains the
same - the character and name of the dish change.
Understanding how to work with different
garnitures allows the creative cook to make endless variations on a basic
dish. Cooked vegetables such as turnips, fennel, carrots, cucumber,
mushrooms, and others can all be used, alone or in combination in order to
give a fresh color and flavor to a traditional dish. In addition, your
choice of when to add the vegetable creates a particular effect and
defines just how the garniture is associated with the meat, poultry or
seafood. For example, if you add vegetables at the early stage, they'll
absorb the flavor of the broth and meat and echo the taste of the meat and
sauce. Whereas if you add the garnish at the end, it will provide its own
fresh and flavorful contrast to the main ingredients.
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