Easy Gourmet-ish Garlic Bread

Who doesn't like garlic bread, right? Especially if you’re from Gilroy, CA, then odds are you REALLY like garlic. 

“Gilroy is well known for its garlic crop and for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, featuring various garlicky foods, including garlic ice cream. Gilroy's nickname is "Garlic Capital of the World,"with Gilroy Foods processing more garlic than any other factory in the world; most pickled, minced, and powdered garlic come from Gilroy.”

Sure, there’s probably some guy in Guam or Boise or somewhere that doesn’t like it, but YOU mister garlic-bread-disliker, are in the minority! 

You’re probably asking yourself, what makes it easy? Why is it gourmet-ish? To answer your inquiry minds, my take on garlic bread couldn't be simpler to make. Only three main ingredients: Garlic, bread and olive oil.  And once you taste it, it might just remind you of one of those fancy appetizers you’d get at a nice restaurant. And since you’re roasting the garlic, you’ll find that it really mellows the taste, giving you rich and deep flavor, without the harshness associated with raw garlic. 

Here's the recipe:

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 42 minutes

Yield: 10-15 slices

Ingredients:
1 Head Garlic

1/2 Loaf Baguette, sliced into rounds*

1/4 Cup Olive Oil, plus 2 Tablespoons

Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste

*Most grocery store bakeries will be happy to slice your baguette into rounds for no additional charge.

Directions:

Pre-heat over to 425.

Holding the garlic head sideways, slice through the very tops of the garlic cloves.  Place the garlic head cut side up in the middle of a piece of 10"x10" foil. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the garlic, then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Fold the sides of the foil into a little tent, twist the top and place into the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the garlic is a tender and golden brown.

Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for a bit. While it's cooling, place your bread rounds flat on a baking or cookie sheet. Lightly drizzle some olive oil over the slices, then give them a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, gently remove the cloves from their paper peel and place into a sauce pan. Pour about a 1/4 cup of olive oil over the garlic, about 1/8 inch covering the bottom of your pan. Put the pan over very low heat. All you want to do is warm the olive oil and allow the garlic flavor to infuse. Only takes a few minutes.

Place your bread into the same 425 oven for about 5 minutes. You’re just going to warm the bread and give a light crunch. Be careful not over bake it.

Carefully pour your olive oil and garlic into an oven-safe ramekin or other bowl that can handle hot oil. Once your bread comes out of the oven, place it into a linen-lined basket or something to keep it warm.

To serve, grab a bread round and top it with a garlic clove and a little infused olive oil. Using the back of a spoon, gently smash the garlic clove. It should spread like butter. And there you have it, Easy Gourmet-ish Garlic Bread!

Once you've mastered the Easy Gourmet-ish Garlic Bread, try some of these simple toppings that’ll step it up even more. Start with some chopped tomatoes and finely chopped shallots (or red onion) soaked in balsamic vinegar. Or maybe some grated parmesan cheese and minced herbs, such as basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary. Or all of the above. Whatever suites your taste buds.