Cheese Toast

Do you really need a recipe? Probably not. But posting this is a good reminder -- for myself! -- when I'm looking for a bread or starch to round out a meal. And I had half a baguette that I wanted to use before it went stale...

Cut it thick or thin, as you like and slather it with butter. I used garlic butter and sprinkled on some Italian herbs (optional) before adding a layer of grated cheese. Parmesan is wonderful; here, I used white cheddar. Throw them under the broiler or even on the grill until the cheese is nice and melty and the bread is toasted.

So easy, so delicious!

Drizzle with a balsamic glaze to dress it up a little, or add a little bowl of marinara for dipping.

Bread Pudding ...with berries

The original recipe called for blueberries, but acknowledged other berries or chopped fruit would work; without berries you'd have a perfectly good plain/basic bread pudding recipe -- which, honestly, I might prefer; but I had blueberries I wanted to use up, so this was perfect! My first choice would be blackberries. Raisins are the most traditional. Use what appeals to you...or whatever you have on hand!

Ingredients
6 C cubed bread*
1½ C whole milk
¼ C butter
1 C sugar
¼ t salt
5 eggs
1 T vanilla extract
½ t cinnamon
Optional:  2 C fresh berries or chopped fruit; turbinado or other coarse sugar

* Any bread will do, but if you have brioche or french bread or even croissants it's a bonus!

Directions
Preheat oven to 325° F.

Lightly coat a 2 qt casserole dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
Place cubed bread in baking dish.

Heat milk, butter, sugar and salt in saucepan just until butter melts and sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly. (Or temper in the egg mixture...)

In a separate bowl, beat eggs with vanilla and cinnamon. Whisk in milk mixture. Pour over cubed bread and let stand 12-15 minutes. Gently fold in berries (if desired), turning bread in baking dish so all cubes are soaked. Top, if desired, with coarse sugar.

Bake 45-50 minutes until golden brown on top and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Delicious as is, or...serve with blueberry syrup or crème Anglaise.

Panzanella -- Tuscan Bread Salad

(a variation on a recipe I got from the chefs at BTC)

Salad:
6 C mixed baby greens
6 C bread, cut to ½" cubes and lightly toasted
   (it's okay, even good, if it's a little stale)
1 C red, green and/or yellow pepper, ½" diced
½ yellow onion, ½" diced
2 C tomato, ½" diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2+ Tbls pine nuts, toasted, salt & pepper to taste
3-4 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2-3 Tbls fresh basil, roughly chopped
2 Tbls chives, cut to ½" lengths

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1 oz red wine vinegar
1 oz balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grain mustard
1 tsp minced shallot
½ C olive oil
1 Tbls herbs (basil and/or chives, parsley, rosemary, sage, etc.)
salt & pepper to taste

Combine vinegars, mustard and shallots. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in herbs. Set aside.

Sauté garlic, peppers and onions just to soften (3-4 minutes). Reduce heat. Add bread, tomatoes, pine nuts and enough dressing to coat the mixture. Toss in basil and season with salt & pepper. 

Toss greens with remaining dressing, and spread over a serving platter. Top with warm bread mixture. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola and chives.

Bruschetta

(Sorry about the very contrasty picture...not sure why.)

Simplest bruschetta...
sliced bread, rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil, toasted, then topped with fresh sliced tomatoes, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

Deliciously enhanced with...
a drizzle of balsamic glaze
a slice of fresh mozzarella
fresh basil

Caramel-Cinnamon Pull-Aparts

Here's another one that's very easy (frozen rolls, packaged pudding). It's NOT labor intensive, but does need to be started hours in advance.

1 pkg frozen Rhodes dinner rolls
½ C butter
1 C brown sugar
2 Tbls milk
1 lg pkg vanilla cook-and-serve pudding
(NOT instant)
3 tsp cinnamon

Grease 9x13 pan* (coat with non-stick cooking spray). Lay frozen rolls in a single layer in pan. Melt butter; add remaining ingredients, stirring until smooth. Pour over frozen rolls. Cover loosely and leave out to raise for at least five hours or overnight. Bake at 350° 35 minutes. Cover rolls with foil during final 10 minutes so tops don't brown too much.

* I often split the recipe between two smaller pans if I'm cooking for smaller numbers. I cover and re-freeze one pan before the rolls even begin to thaw or rise.

Cornbread Stuffing (w/ sage & dried fruits)

2 qts cornbread, cubed
2 Tbls olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
½ C dried cranberries
½ C chopped dried apricots
1½ C chicken broth
2 eggs
½ tsp salt
2 Tbls chopped sage leaves

Cube 2 quarts of cornbread and let sit, uncovered, at room temperature 1 day. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside.

In a large fry pan, cook onion in olive oil until soft and dark brown - about 20 minutes. In a large bowl, mix onion with cranberries and apricots, chicken broth, eggs, salt and sage. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Gently stir in conrbread cubes. Transfer stuffing to a 9x13" casserole dish, lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350° 40 minutes or until browned. Serves about 10.

I also have a Sourdough-Mushroom Stuffing recipe. Between these two, you could play around with what kind of bread you use and what other ingredients and spices you add (the mushroom/onions/leeks with parsley verses the cranberry/apricot with sage) and come up with some delicious alternatives. I've seen recipes with wheat or rye bread, sausage, apples, pears, thyme, rosemary...

Sourdough-Mushroom Stuffing

1 lb sourdough, cubed
2 Tbls olive oil
1 lb mushrooms, quartered
2 leeks,sliced
(mild onions can substitute)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 C chopped celery
1½+ C broth (chicken, beef or mushroom)
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
¼ C chopped parsley

Cube the sourdough bread and let sit, uncovered, at room temperature 1 day. In a large frying pan, sautée mushrooms, leeks, garlic and celery (about 5 minutes, until everything is softened). Transfer to a large bowl and add sourdough cubes. Gently mix in broth, eggs, salt and parsley.

Spoon stuffing into a 9x13" casserole dish lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350° 45 minutes or until browned. Serves about 10.