A basil or mint chiffonade (which means "made of rags" in French) is a flavorful, beautiful accent for dishes like pastas and fruit salads. Here's how to cut a chiffonade:
1. Stack about ten leaves into a neat pile. With practice, you may find that you can handle more than ten at a time.
2. Roll the pile of leaves lengthwise into a fairly tight cigar shape.
3. Use your sharpest knife to slice across the cigar. The closer together the slices, the finer your chiffonade will be.
4. Fluff the chiffonade with your fingertips to separate the shreds. The cut edges will darken quickly, so use the chiffonade as soon as possible.
