Thursday, May 19, 2011

3 Ideas to use leftover French bread

3 ways to use those hard leftover baguettes:

They go stale so quickly, and if you’re tired of tossing them at ducks, here are three ideas. You can also use leftover baguette in “Mini Light Pizzas” which is also on the blog.


Solution One: Garlic bread


This is rich, but so good you won’t care.

Melt about 100 gr of butter in a small casserole
Add 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced) and a couple of branches of finely chopped parsley.
Let the mixture cook a bit but only a minute or two.

Slice the baguettes in half and place them belly-side up on cookie sheets.
Pour the butter onto the bread generously, making sure equal amounts of garlic and parsley are on each slice. Place in the oven or under a broiler until golden brown a crispy. Be careful, they burn really quick if you don’t watch them.

Solution Two: Pesto Bread


Prepare the baguettes as above. Spoon pesto sauce generously on the bread and add shredded mozzarella cheese over the pesto.

Place in the oven or under the broiler until the cheese is melted and brown

Solution Three: Bread Pudding


Butter
Leftover baguette
1 L milk
3 eggs
½ cup of sugar
¼ tsp salt

One, two or three of the following:

Chocolate chips
Cocoa
Fresh diced fruit (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, apples, pears, bananas, oranges…whatever you have on hand)
Dried fruits (raisins, chopped dried apricots, dates, figs….)
Vanilla
Cinnamon

Cut the baguette into thin slices and place a first layer in a buttered baking dish. Add whatever optional ingredients (fruit, chocolate, etc.) you are choosing, making sure to scatter them more or less evenly on top of the layer of bread. Add daps of butter here and there over the rest. Whisk the milk, eggs, sugar and salt together and add vanilla or cinnamon if you are using them. Pour the milk mixture on top of the rest in the dish. Cover with more bread slices, placing them over the top and pushing them down a bit so they absorb the liquid ingredients.

Place in the oven and cook until the top is brown and crispy. The center will be softer, creating a nice mixture of textures. Serve lukewarm or cold.

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