Cool Tip: How to Chiffonade
- Jun 23, 2015
The first question you may ask, before you get to the "how", is "why chiffonade?"
The answer: …Beauty, Flavor, Style …
How to add all these to your dish? Make a Chiffonade of your favorite herb, usually basil or mint (see the Aushak recipe in today’s newsletter). This simple knifecut exposes more surfaces for more flavor in a variety of dishes and always adds a beautiful color element to your dish. Garnish is not just a sprig of parsley that never gets eaten anyway.
Remove the larger leaves from the stalk; wash and dry on paper towels.
Stack the leaves on each other (depending upon size, 5-10 leaves in a stack).
Roll the stack into a cigar-like shape.
Using a very sharp knife, slice across the herb cigar; narrower slices will produce a finer yield with somewhat more flavor, while less narrow slices will produce more dramatic pieces of color for your dish. If your leaves are very large (like basil in summer), then cut the cigar in half long-wise and then slice.
‘Fluff’ the chiffonade to assure that all the slices are separate. I prefer finer mint slices and wider basil slices, especially because, when added just before serving, the heat of the dish will wilt the chiffonade, adding more flavor in the dish.
Finally, don’t prepare this too early: the cut edges will darken quickly.
Enjoy!
The answer: …Beauty, Flavor, Style …
How to add all these to your dish? Make a Chiffonade of your favorite herb, usually basil or mint (see the Aushak recipe in today’s newsletter). This simple knifecut exposes more surfaces for more flavor in a variety of dishes and always adds a beautiful color element to your dish. Garnish is not just a sprig of parsley that never gets eaten anyway.
Remove the larger leaves from the stalk; wash and dry on paper towels.
Stack the leaves on each other (depending upon size, 5-10 leaves in a stack).
Roll the stack into a cigar-like shape.
Using a very sharp knife, slice across the herb cigar; narrower slices will produce a finer yield with somewhat more flavor, while less narrow slices will produce more dramatic pieces of color for your dish. If your leaves are very large (like basil in summer), then cut the cigar in half long-wise and then slice.
‘Fluff’ the chiffonade to assure that all the slices are separate. I prefer finer mint slices and wider basil slices, especially because, when added just before serving, the heat of the dish will wilt the chiffonade, adding more flavor in the dish.
Finally, don’t prepare this too early: the cut edges will darken quickly.
Enjoy!