Heidi Swansons Dads Garlic Bread Recipes

HEIDI SWANSON'S TAPIOCA PUDDING RECIPE

Steps:

• Pour 3/4 cup of the milk into a medium-sized, thick-bottomed pot. Add the tapioca and soak for 30 minutes.
• Whisk in the egg yolks, salt, sugar, and the remaining milk.
• Scrape the vanilla bean along its length with a knife and add that bean "paste" along with the bean itself to the pot. If you are using vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean stir it in at the very end, after the pudding is completely cooked.
• Over medium heat, slowly bring the mixture just barely to a boil, stirring all along; this should take about 15 minutes.
• Reduce the heat and let the mixture fall to a simmer; you keep it here until the tapioca is fully cooked, another 20 minutes or so. Keep in mind this time can be significantly longer (or shorter). The tapioca will tell you when it is ready if you watch carefully. The tapioca beads will swell up and become almost entirely translucent. The custardy part of pudding will thicken dramatically as well - keep tasting and assessing at this stage. It is even more critical to keep stirring at this point avoid dreaded scorching.
• Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
• This tapioca tastes its best when served warm, but is still delicious cold as well.

HEIDI'S DAD'S GARLIC BREAD

Steps:

• As told to me by my father. Slice that loaf of bread right up the middle so you have two halves (he uses his serrated knife for this). Now set them on their backs, cut side up. Mince the garlic or push it through one of those crushers - either way is fine. Now add it to the butter you should be melting in a small saucepan. (This is where he got really animated). Now take a basting brush (or any brush for that matter - pastry, etc) and start slathering the garlic butter all across that bread. Really go for it, let it soak in. He then says to me, "heck, sometimes I even pour it on." (At which point I can't help but think that my mom would be mortified). Make sure you get all those garlic chunks evenly distributed. Now sometimes my dad makes a garlic bread in advance and freezes it (don't ask). If you are going to freeze the bread for later, this is when you do it - you don't want to bake, then freeze. He recommends the 'double-bake' as he calls it. This is when you bake at a standard temperature (350 degrees) for 10 to 15 minutes to heat the bread (particularly if it is coming out of the freezer), and then brown it off for color under the broiler for a minute or two. When the bread is finished broiling let it cool for a minute or two. This is when I sprinkle with the lemon zest and chives (and to be honest, I sprinkle a bit of zest on the bread before it goes in the oven too because I like that roasted lemon flavor alongside the garlic.) Slice and serve. The short version of this recipe: Cut, slather, bake, brown, slice.

HEIDI SWANSON'S DAD'S GARLIC BREAD

Steps:

• As told to Heidi by her father: Slice that loaf of bread right up the middle so you have two halves (He uses his serrated knife for this).
• Set them on their backs, cut side up.
• Mince the garlic or push it through one of those crushers - either way is fine. Now add it to the butter you should be melting in a small saucepan.
• Take a basting brush (or any brush for that matter - pastry, etc) and start slathering the garlic butter all across that bread. Really go for it, let it soak inches. Make sure you get all those garlic chunks evenly distributed.
• If you are going to freeze the bread for later, this is when you do it - you don't want to bake, then freeze.
• He recommends the 'double-bake' as he calls it. This is when you bake at a standard temperature (350 degrees) for 10 to 15 minutes to heat the bread (particularly if it is coming out of the freezer), and then brown it off for color under the broiler for a minute or two.
• When the bread is finished broiling let it cool for a minute or two. This is when I sprinkle with the lemon zest and chives (and to be honest, I sprinkle a bit of zest on the bread before it goes in the oven too because I like that roasted lemon flavor alongside the garlic.)
• Slice and serve.
• The short version of this recipe: Cut, slather, bake, brown, slice.