French croutons

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 2 baguettes, stale
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 garlic cloves, fresh
• 4 tsp herbs de Provence

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

from old baguette

This recipe is from a French chef with whom I once did an internship. Cut the old, somewhat hard baguettes into slices about 5 mm thick and place these slices on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Drizzle a little olive oil on each slice and then sprinkle with salt. Bake at 200°C for about 10 minutes, until the slices are golden brown. Since every oven is different, this time may be shorter or longer. Just check frequently. Let the baked slices cool briefly until you can handle them. Then cut a fresh garlic clove in half and rub each slice, while still warm, with it. Simply rub the cut end of the clove vigorously over the hard slice 2-3 times. The clove will wear down in the process. In my experience, I need 1 clove per long baguette. Finally, sprinkle a little of the herb mixture on each slice and let cool. The croutons can be stored in an airtight container. They’ll keep for about 3-4 weeks and look great on salads. You can also crumble them a bit before eating if they’re too big. Croutons are also delicious just for snacking, as bread chips.