Cheesy Garlic Bread
Ingredients
- 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 (18-20 inch) baguette or loaf of french bread, sliced in half horizontally
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheese (see note)
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400.
- In a small nonstick skillet, cook the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the butter and water over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is straw colored, 7-10 minutes. It is important to keep the heat low or the garlic will burn and turn bitter. The garlic should be lightly browned but not burned!
- In a small bowl, place the remaining 7 tablespoons softened butter and the salt and pepper. Mix in the hot garlic mixture and stir to combine. Using a rubber spatula, spread the butter mixture on the cut sides of bread. Sandwich the bread back together and wrap the loaf in foil.
- Place the wrapped loaf on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and turn the oven to the broil setting.
- Sprinkle the bread with the shredded cheese. Broil until cheese has melted and bread is crisp, 1-2 minutes. (As my Aunt Marilyn points out, don’t take your hand off the oven door while the bread is broiling – it can burn quickly!)
- Transfer the bread to a cutting board with the cheese side facing down. Cut into angled pieces and serve. Please try to exert self-control and share the bounty with others at the table.
Notes
Cheese: I used a blend of Parmesan and mozzarella and my aunt uses just Parmesan – you can tailor this to what you have on hand but I think a mix of white cheeses would be best.