So, it was steak night again. And you know how it is, you can’t just go straight for the main course. Needed something to get the appetite going, a proper lead-in. I wasn’t looking for anything too complicated, just something tasty that wouldn’t overshadow the steak itself.
I rooted around in the fridge and the pantry, seeing what I had to work with. Landed on the idea of doing some garlic bread, but not just plain old garlic bread. Wanted to jazz it up a bit, make it a bit more of an event, you know?
Getting Started
First thing, I grabbed a decent baguette. Not one of those super skinny ones, but something with a bit of heft. Sliced it on an angle, about an inch thick. You want enough surface area for the good stuff.
Then, the main event for the spread. I took a whole head of garlic. Didn’t even bother peeling all the cloves individually at first. Just sliced the top off the entire head, drizzled it with some olive oil, wrapped it in foil, and threw it in the oven. Let that roast for a good 30-40 minutes while I prepped other things. The goal is soft, sweet, roasted garlic.
While the garlic was doing its thing, I got some butter out to soften. About half a stick, maybe a bit more. You can never have too much butter, right? Once the garlic was roasted and cool enough to handle, I squeezed those soft cloves right into the butter. Mashed it all up with a fork. It smelled incredible already.
Building the Flavor
To that butter and garlic mix, I added a good handful of chopped fresh parsley. Adds color, adds freshness. Then, a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese. Don’t skimp on the cheese. A little salt, a little black pepper. Mixed it all up until it was a nice, spreadable paste.
Then I took each slice of that baguette and slathered that garlic-butter-cheese mixture on top. Made sure to get it right to the edges. Laid them all out on a baking sheet.
- Sliced the baguette.
- Roasted a whole head of garlic.
- Mixed roasted garlic with softened butter.
- Added fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.
- Seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Spread generously on baguette slices.
The Final Step: Baking
Popped that baking sheet into a pretty hot oven. I think I had it around 400°F (that’s about 200°C for you folks using Celsius). Didn’t take long, maybe 10-12 minutes. I just kept an eye on them. You want the edges to be crispy and golden brown, and the cheese all melty and bubbly. The smell filling the kitchen? Absolutely top-notch.
Pulled them out, let them cool for just a minute because molten cheese is no joke. They were perfect. Crispy, garlicky, cheesy, a little bit herby. Just the right thing to nibble on while the steaks were resting. Went down a treat, every single slice. Sometimes the simple things, done right, are the best. And that’s pretty much how I got that done.
