Fun with herbs: bouquet garni braids

I saw something similar to these braids at Sur La Table, and immediately wanted to duplicate them. I love to make homemade chicken stock (it's the secret to my risotto), and these little herb bunches will take my stock to the next level.





I cut the herbs to a similar size (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano and tarragon) and tied it with a kitchen string.

Voila! So cute! I showed Ricardo (he's an ex Dean and Deluca employee -- so he knows these things), and he approved.

When I was finished I had 18 little bundles.

I used two packages of rafia to make the braid, and yes it was very messy, but quite entertaining to the cats.

After a few failed attempts, I was quite satisfied with the results.

Even Vince approves!