Mignonet

The sophistication and refinement, unsurpassed taste and subtle aroma of many dishes of the classic culinary tradition of France are due not only to the use of the highest quality products, but also to their combination.

Many recipes for French cuisine include a variety of fragrant herbs, which must be present in some dishes. For example, when preparing meals, culinary experts lay a small bunch of herbs in the dishes, which is called a bouquet of garni.

In addition, seasoning such as mignonet is known and in demand. In general, the term mignonet (poivre mignonnette) in classical French cooking is usually called large crushed black or white pepper (or their mixture). By the way, this seasoning is called short pepper in English.

By the way, in the Middle Ages in France, a small-sized bag of muslin (thin cotton fabric) was called a mignonette, which was filled with spices and dipped into dishes to flavor them. As a rule, mignonet was used in the preparation of various soups and stews.

Today, such seasoning is used, for example, to make peppermint steak (steak au poivre) from fillet, which is toasted on a pillow of crushed peppers. Pepper or a mixture of mignonets is also used when preparing dressings for salads and classic French sauces, which are served to meat dishes.

Such sauces contain a fairly noticeable amount of pepper, which gives them a dominant aroma. In addition, it is crushed mignonet pepper that gives its aroma to sauces faster and better than whole grains. Concentrating in vinegar, in white or red wine, the mignonet does not muddy the broth or sauce, as, for example, ground pepper. And also, the roughly crushed pepper is easily removed by straining the sauce or dressing immediately before serving.

Interestingly, modern French cuisine can also offer caramel dessert sauce to cheeses, which is made with the addition of crushed white pepper mignonette. Undoubtedly, this dish has a peculiar taste, but definitely deserves the attention of foodies around the world.

It is worth noting that the mignonet is not the only seasoning that is customary to lower into a dish in a bag. So, not only in France, but also around the world, a bouquet of garni is known - a bouquet of fragrant herbs wrapped in laurel leaves (both dry and fresh). Such an aromatic additive may include parsley, thyme, celery, basil, marjoram, chervel, chaber, tarragon, rosemary and basil.