Everything is on crostini lately, and food magazines yell at me that I must follow their secret to success, usually involving a grill, if I want my parties to be the talk of the season. Thankfully, I'm not worried about being the talk of anything and I watched Julie & Julia so I know that you can make heart breakingly yummy food on a small stove in a cramped apartment.
When it comes to cooking, I am inspired by an unpredictable assortment of books, movies, sights, scents ... in the case of crostini, I was enchanted with the scene where Julie is making grilled bread in a cast iron skillet on her stove. The colors were so vibrant, the technique so simple, the equipment something I already had, the end result mouthwatering.
And I thought: Hey, I can do that!
And I did.
The Stuff
Good quality bread (and I don't mean Pepperidge Farm sandwich!)
Olive oil and/or butter
The Way
Slice the bread into @1/2 inch slices - thick enough to be sturdy, thin enough that you won't have to dislocate your jaw to get a mouthful of the bread plus toppings.
Heat a cast iron skillet (oh, okay, any skillet, really) over medium heat.
Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil (or a combination of olive oil and butter).
Snuggle bread slices into skillet and cook on each side until golden brown with some dark brown almost burnt parts.
Serve topped with your choice of yumminess.
Ideas
Rub a halved clove of garlic over the hot, crunchy bread before topping.
Don't bother topping it at all and just inhale.
Top with...
fresh mozzerella, basil and tomato.
chopped tomatoes, roasted red pepper, minced onion.
Talk back: What's your favorite topping?
o dear. you inspire me more than anything else these days with your fabulous cooking and pictures! (= i may have to try making these.
ReplyDeleteOh that gives me an idea for some shrimp crostinis :)
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