Barefoot Contessa Parmesan Croutons Recipes

CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large (10-inch) saute pan until hot. Add the bread and cook over medium heat, tossing frequently, until the bread is evenly toasted and browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Slice baguette diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices. Depending on the size of the baguette, you should get about 20 to 25 slices.
• Lay the slices in one layer on a baking sheet and brush each with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. You can use either plain or flavored olive oil such as basil or garlic. The measurements for the salt and pepper in the ingredients are just estimates and you use whatever amount suits you. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until they are browned and crisp. Serve at room temperature.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S PARMESAN BLACK PEPPER CRACKERS -INA GARTEN

Steps:

• Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until creamy. (**I think this is where personal preference and maybe even altitude will effect the outcome of these crackers. I started out with 1 stick of butter, then blended all the other ingredients together. The "dough" was too crumbly and looked like a struesel topping that you would put on top of muffins or a coffee cake. The one stick of butter is what Ina calls for in her recipe. I think this is a typo. I added another 1/2 stick of butter to the flour mixture, and then beat it with the paddle attachment on my mixer. This is when the "dough" balled up and looked right. So, I think this recipe needs between 1 stick and 1 1/2 sticks. You might even get by with 1 1/4 sticks.).
• Add the Parmesan, flour, salt, thyme and pepper and combine.
• Dump the dough on a lightly floured board and roll into a 13-inch long log.
• Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices.
• Place the slices on a sheet pan and bake for 22-25 minutes.
• **Cook time does not include freezing the dough for between 15-30 minutes (mine were hard enough to easily cut at 15 minutes).