TOAST!!

I made toast tonight.  Big whoop, eh?

Well yeah, it kinda was something of a big deal.  It wasn't wonder bread or anything remotely out of a plastic wrapper shoe covering.  No it was the most sublime, crispy/crunchy satisfying piece of toast   I've ever had.

Yet another recipe I snagged out of what is rapidly becoming my cooking bible: 12 Recipes by Cal P.

So yeah, not ordinary toast, but thinly sliced roasted and toasted bread spread with a hitherto unknown sauce creation -- just invented it on the spot tonight with brave, brave Patty and the dogs standing by to eat my mistakes if necessary.

The toast:

I bought some Ciabatta from Metropolis Bakery, cut it in half and let it sit and get stale for 3 days.  Ohhh, stale bread eh? That sounds deelish.  Well it will be, stay with me

When it hit that perfect storm or staleness with just a googe of torque, I sliced four 1/4 inch thick slabs off the center and halfed those.

Onto an old pizza pan I drizzled my best Olive oil and schmooshed the bread slices around a bit, drizzled some more over the top and brushed em even.

Then I popped it into a 350 degree oven and carefully set my timer  (yes, I read that chapter carefully Cal) for 7 minutes.  After it dinged I pulled the pan out, rotated it 180 degrees and did another 7 mins. 

At this point 2 pieces were done so I removed them and like a nervous helicopter parent hovered over the remaining pieces, removing when perfectly golden brown until all were done.

The Spread!! The Spread!!

I went out into the garden and snagged some fresh mint and cilantro and mixed it with garlic (4 cloves or so), a finely chopped jalapeño and some olive oil.  Oh baby, that smelled good and my hands tasted pretty good too, so said Milton dog. 

To serve, I grated/crushed more garlic into a spread and whipped it on top of the bread followed by a spoonful of the the green nectar sauce (gotta come up with a better name).  Needless to say it was sublime. 

Not a bad first try at all -  the success of the pesto-esque sharp and sweet sauce was worth the entire endeavor al by itself.