Home-made Garlic and Parmesan Croutons

Home-made Garlic and Parmesan Croutons

So if you weren't aware of it already, I'm a bit infatuated with baguettes. As fate would have it, during exams, my normal baker's dozen baguette recipe sat unused on the baking rack. That never happens. Rather than throw it out, I decided to make the stale bread into crispy, gourmet, home-made croutons. Cost me nothing, and they came out delicious.

Now of course you can, use any bread, or even make a smaller batch of this same recipe I'm posting below. In fact this exact same recipe appears here, if a dozen or so baguettes seems too much. On the other hand, you can make a few for tonight fresh, and sit the rest out for croutons in a few days. Your choice.

So first step, get some bread. I made my crouton's from this recipe a few days prior:

Poor baguettes!

Baker's Dozen Baguettes

one 5lb bag of bread flour

6 1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon of salt

1/4 cup + 1.5 teaspoon yeast

Method:

Follow the directions here, (you will need a very large bowl for this mix) and bake at 450F. If using the same day, bake for about 18-20 minutes, then allow to cool.

Now of course I let mine sit out for about 3-5 days. They were just on the verge of staleness. (If such a thing exists.) Then I took a couple of the baguettes, and sliced it into crouton size squares. Placed it on a oiled baking sheet and added the following.

A delicious chicken ranch salad with green olives!

Garlic and Parmesan Croutons

• A bit of salt and pepper
• Spritz of cooking oil
• Garlic powder
• Parmesan cheese

Bake for another 6-10 minutes at 450F, or until toasted to normal, delicious, crouton consistency, and enjoy! 

Hands down probably the best homemade croutons in the world. Certainly the best I've tasted. 

Mince Pie Recipe To Ring In The New Year.

Make your own design too!

Last night as we were swashbuckling in the last hours of the year waiting for 2012, we enjoyed some festive treats: mince pies. It's another traditional English comfort-food that has a long history attached to it. From the king of England's favorite food, to prohibition in America which almost caused its extinction stateside, mince pies are a nostalgic traditional treat. We had some pre-packaged imported ones on Christmas, and afterwords Shannon became so infatuated she decided we had to have them for New Years. Rightfully so too, because I wasn't fond of the store bought Christmas mince pies, but I just had a taste of these homemade ones, and absolutely fell in love. There's still time if you get baking now to enjoy a mince pie on New Years day!

English Mince Pies Recipe

Delicious glazed, caramelized goodness.

Filling:
5 small Gala apples diced.
1 12 oz bad of dried apricots.
8 oz of Golden Raisins
1 cup of hazelnuts, chopped and crushed
Zest of 1 orange
2 shots of vanilla rum
8 oz of brown sugar
4 oz of butter
3/4 cup of shortening
nutmeg & cinnamon to taste and liking

If you don't have weeks to wait around, toss it all in an iron skillet and gently warm until mix transforms into gorgeousness.

 Crust:

(You can also buy some pre-prepared crust in the freezer section of the your grocer.)

2 cups all purpose
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of water (approx.)

Mix, Chill, Roll-out, and Cut and place in muffin pan sprayed with non-stick spray.

Mini mince pies.

Icing: 1/2 cup powder sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla Rum
2 teaspoon butter
1/2 orange's juice (squeezed)
additional water to create proper consistency.
Mix, drizzle after the mince pies are done cooking.

Method:
Preheat oven to 425 F, Bake for approx 14 minutes then drizzle the icing over top. Allow to cool, serve and enjoy your mince pie.

When mincemeat is made in the English kitchen, all the family takes turns in stirring and making a secret wish. The mixture is always stirred clockwise, the direction in which the sun is assumed to proceed around an earth at the center of the universe. To stir in a counter-clockwise direction is to ask for trouble in the coming year!

Happy New Years!