Bay Leaves

Posted in Spices and Herbs Tell-a-Friend
Bay Leaves 

Bay leaves refer to the aromatic leaf of the Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae). Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavour and fragrance. The leaves are often used to flavour soups, stews, braises and pâtés in Mediterranean Cuisine. The fresh leaves are very mild and do not develop their full flavour until several weeks after picking and drying.

The bay leaf is oval, pointed and smooth, 2.5 - 8 cm long. When fresh, the leaves are shiny and dark green on top with lighter undersides. When dried the bay leaf is a matte olive green.

Bouquet: Warm and quite pungent when broken and the aromatic oils are released.
Flavour: Slightly bitter and strongly aromatic.

Purchase and Avoid
Dried bay leaves may be purchased as whole leaves, broken bits, or a powder. Whether buying fresh or dry, choose whole leaves with the brightest green colour and strongest aroma you can find. Brown leaves will have lost their flavour. For best flavour, bay leaves should not be used more than 1 year after harvest.
Storage
Kept out of light in airtight containers the whole leave will retain flavour for over two years.
Culinary Uses
  • The bay leaf is useful in hearty, homestyle cooking. Whole leaves are often used in cooking and crushed or ground leaves can be used for extra strength.

  • Bay leaves may be best known in bouquets garnis or used similarly in soups, sauces, stews, daubes and courts-bouillon’s, an appropriate seasoning for fish, meat and poultry.

  • Bay leaf is often included as a pickling spice.

  • When you are making bean, split pea and vegetable soups, meat stews, spaghetti sauce, and chilli, a bay leaf can be added for a more pungent flavour.

  • Alternate whole bay leaves with meat, seafood, or vegetables on skewers before cooking.

  • Add bay leaves to slow-cooked sauces and stocks or when poaching fish or seafood.

  • Poach pears in red or white wine syrup with bay leaves, peppercorns, and a strip of orange or lemon zest.

  • Be sure to remove bay leaves before eating a dish that has finished cooking. The whole leaves are used to impart flavour only and are bitter and hard to chew.

Food Affinities
  • artichokes

  • beet

  • celery root

  • chicken

  • corned beef

  • fish

  • potato

  • roast duck

  • roast pork

  • tomato sauce

Category: Spices and Herbs

Sub Category: Herbs

Total Views: 1606

Word Count: 584

Comment on Twitter

More Articles in "Spices and Herbs"

Nutmeg and Mace
Posted 19.04.2011 in Spices and Herbs
Nutmeg and Mace
Nutmeg is the large, light grayish brown, speckled, wood-hard kernel that grows inside the apricot-like fruit of a tropical tree (Myristica fragrans)…
View Details »
Speserye
Posted 03.10.2009 in Spices and Herbs
Speserye
Eksotiese speserye van regoor die wêreld is deesdae tot ons beskikking – tog beteken die beskikbaarheid daarvan maar min as jy nie weet hoe om dit te…
View Details »
Allspice
Posted 03.11.2009 in Spices and Herbs
Allspice
Allspice takes its name from its aroma, which smells like a combination of spices, especially cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, hence the name…
View Details »
Szechuan Peppercorns
Posted 19.04.2011 in Spices and Herbs
Szechuan Peppercorns
Szechuan peppercorns are the dried husks that surround the seeds of the Chinese prickly ash tree (Zanthoxylum simulans). Usually reddish brown, the fruits…
View Details »
Asafetida
Posted 12.04.2011 in Spices and Herbs
Asafetida
Asafetida (Hing) is an essential ingredient in Indian vegetarian cooking. Asafetida is the strong-smelling, even stinking, dried brownish resin extracted…
View Details »

All Articles in "Spices and Herbs"