garlic parmesan croutons

i dont understand why ppl pay money for factory made croutons. its the easiest thing to make at home, at a fraction of the cost. i use/eat a lot of crusty artisan bread at home. so i always have some leftover stale pieces of bread. just cut it into cubes, drizzle your favorite oil, add some seasoning and toast it for a few mins. SO easy. SO good. play around with it, try out different seasonings let me know what you come up with! in this recipe below...the garlic oil steals the show.

garlic parmesan croutons

2 cups of stale baguette, cut into 1x1 inch cubes

4 tablespoons of garlic oil (cost plus world market)

1 tablesppon of parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme and oregano

pinch of salt and pepper

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. drizzle the oil over the baguette pieces in a bowl. sprinkle cheese, herbs and salt/pepper on the baguette and toss. spread on a baking sheet as a single layer. bake in the oven for 10-15 mins. keep your eye on it so it doesnt burn. the color should be a light caramel brown. or as my friend esther would say...the color of jessica alba's skin. let it cool and serve with soup or salad.

tip: can be made in a convectional oven instead. just set it to a light toast.

bon appétit~!

french toast with blueberry sauce

besides not having to go into work, another great thing about the weekend is BREAKFAST! you actually have to make it and enjoy it.

mise en place

blueberry sauce

1.5 cups of blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup of water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon citrus rind (lemon, orange, grapefruit)

place all of the ingredients in a heavy sauce pan. bring to a boil and simmer for 10 mins. chill before serving

mise en place

french toast
2 eggs

1/4 cup of cream

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

4 slices of day old baguette cut 1 inch thick (i'm also using left over king's hawaiian bread)

2 tablespoons of butter

powdered sugar for dusting

whisk the first four ingredients in a shallow bowl. place the bread slices, into the bowl, allowing the slices to soak up the egg mixture for a few seconds, then turn to coat the other side.

heat a griddle to medium heat and place one tablespoon of butter for each slice of bread. cook each side until golden brown, about 2-3 mins each side.

dust with powdered sugar and serve with blueberry sauce (or maple syrup)

bon appétit~!

soup du jour: french onion

french onion soup is not only one of my fav soups of all time, its one of the easiest soups to make.

mise en place

french onion soup
1 stick unsalted butter
4 medium onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 bottle of red wine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart beef broth, low sodium
4 slices of baguette, (toasted optional)
4 slices of gruyere (or swiss, asiago...use all three, get crazy)

melt the butter in a large pot (dutch oven) over medium heat. add sliced onions, stirring occassionally for about 10 mins. add garlic, fresh thyme springs (whole) and bay leaves in the pot. continue to cook until onions become soft, another 15 mins.

add wine and let simmer. as the onions soak up the wine, the color will turn purple. cook until the wine has evaporated, about 10-15 mins. discard the bay leaves and thyme springs.

turn the heat down to medium-low and dust the onions evenly with all purpose flour. stir thoroughly and make sure the flour has been cooked, about 10 mins. this process thickens the soup's texture.

add beef broth and simmer medium-low for another 10-15 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste.

when youre ready to eat, pre-heat the broiler to high. laddle the soup in an oven proof bowl. place 2 slices of baguette in each bowl. top with one or two slices of cheese and place directly under the broiler for 3 mins or until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

carefully remove the soup from the oven, it will be HOT! serve with a glass of wine and enjoy on a cold winter night.

bon appétit~!