Showing posts with label buca di beppo garlic bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buca di beppo garlic bread. Show all posts

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Oscars Party Planning

Out of the trifecta of the Emmys, Grammys, and Oscars, the Oscars are my favorite. And not just because my good friend B and I host a party every year. There’s simply something glitzy and glamorous about them in a way that the other two awards shows aren’t, and I like that. It gives me a chance to put on airs, and show off a little bit.

Just putting the finishing touches on my Oscar party menu. I’m part of a year-round CSA and I got a turkey from some family friends in the area, so I have a ton of food on hand to play around with and use for the menu planning. Not only is it thrifty, since all the food’s already paid for, being a localvore is uber trendy right now.

Here’s my menu as it stands right now. I’ll post the final version the Monday after.

Roast Turkey with sage and garlic gremolata
Celeriac and New potato mash
Butternut squash soup with kale and assorted greens
Italian garlic bread
Orange maple ginger glazed carrots
Cheese plate: Smoked cheddar and jalapeno Monterrey
Poached pears in red wine sauce
Warm baked citrus fruits

Until then, please, enjoy some Oscar links, courtesy of Mahalo. These links will be updated to-the-minute on Oscar night.

Friday, November 14, 2008

A trio of garlic breads

I had a garlic bread so delicious last night that I had to share the recipe. As a bonus, I've got two other lovely garlic bread recipes, too.

Goat cheese garlic bread with roasted garlic

2 baguettes
4 oz plain goat cheese
1 head roasted garlic
1 small clove garlic, finely minced or crushed

Slice baguettes in half, lengthwise. Slice each half crosswise. Basically, One Baguette is now in four pieces. Put goat cheese, garlic and roasted garlic in a small bowl, use a fork to smash together until somewhat smooth. It's ok, in fact preferred, to have some texture from the roasted cloves. Add a little bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Place on broiler pan, and broil in the oven until tops just start to brown. Serve hot.

Tacky Italian Restaurant's sinfully delicious garlic bread

If you've been to this restaurant I'm clandestinely referencing, then you know what I'm talking about. If not, just know this is a crunchy, crusty bread with a powerfully potent, but not overpowering, garlic flavor. I swiped the basics for this recipe from Meemo's Kitchen, who has a great write-up on the recipe. I have modified it somewhat to clarify procedure and to add just a pat of butter, though the "authentic" recipe does not call for it.

The key to this is finding a good foccaccia to start with. Ideally, it should be a size that will fit into a 9-inch cake pan. You split it in half crosswise so you've got two round pieces half the thickness of the original. (You can always make your own foccaccia if you really want.)

"Buca’s" bread

Makes two loaves

1 loaf focaccia bread (rosemary and red onion if you can find it)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 T butter
6 cloves garlic-minced (jarred is OK)
3 cloves garlic-sliced very thin
2 tsp oregano
¼ cup mozzarella (optional – variation)
3 Tablespoons Romano cheese

Advance Prep:

Cut loaf of bread crosswise so you end up with 2 circles, each about 1 inch thick. Let sit for an hour or two.

Slice garlic cloves thinly, set aside for an hour or two.

Make garlic oil. Combine minced garlic, butter and oils in a microwave safe dish or in a small saucepan. Heat in microwave for 30seconds to 1 minute until butter just melts. Do not let garlic burn.

***

To assemble:

Brush each round of bread--the entire thing--with garlic oil. Get the top, sides, and especially the bottom of the bread. Slice bread into 4-6 rounds using pizza cutter. Place bread in cake pans. Sprinkle oregano and Romano on top (and mozzarella if using). Top with garlic slices.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes, until heated through. Remove from the oven, and turn on the broiler. Broil top of bread until garlic just starts to brown (if using cheese, when cheese is bubbly).

Remove from pans and add a little more oregano and Romano. Serve hot.

Slothful garlic bread

I think I've posted this before. It's the garlic bread I make when I don't have any butter at room temperature and I want garlic bread NOW.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press
1/4 cup pre-shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, whatever you have on hand)
1 small sub sandwich roll (4-6 inches) or 2 slices of bread

Mix mayo, garlic and cheese. Spread thickly on bread. Broil until it puffs and just starts to brown. Eat quickly before you have time to ponder that you've just made garlic bread using mayonnaise.