RecipeMuncher

I’ve never made beef stew without a couple of bay leaves tossed in, and I’ve made scores of soups and sauces with them too. An element of the classic bouquet garni, bay leaves are a staple spice shelf item. It wasn’t until recently, however, that I had the completely novel and utterly pleasurable experience of trying fresh bay leaves. If you, like me, think you are familiar with the flavor of bay but haven’t tried the fresh leaf, you are missing out on an entire dimension of this incredi (...)