Chive And Garlic Croutons Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add bread cubes, and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp and dry. Check frequently to prevent burning. Cool.

Steps:

• Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic; saute 30 seconds or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; stir in garlic powder. Unroll the French bread dough onto a lightly floured surface; brush dough with garlic mixture. Sprinkle the dough with chives and cheese. Cut the dough crosswise into 12 strips. Shape each strip into a knot. Place the knots onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a large stock pot of salted cold water. Cover and bring to boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until tender. Once the potatoes are cooked, pour them into a strainer, removing all of the water. Put them back into the original pot. If there is still a lot of excess water in the potatoes, put the pot over low heat, shaking the pot so the potatoes dry off but not burn. Turn off the heat, cover and keep warm.
• In a large stock pot, over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon canola oil. When the butter has melted, add the onions, shallots and carrots. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook the vegetables until they soften, without burning or caramelizing. Saute for approximately 5 minutes, then add 2 quarts of vegetable stock. Keep the stock at a low simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste the stock and season with kosher salt and black pepper, to taste.
• While stock is cooking, make Garlic Confit for croutons:
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add canola oil and whole peeled garlic. Allow to cook until very tender to the touch, about 30 to 45 minutes. It should be like roasted garlic where you can smash and spread it. Allow the garlic to cool a bit then remove garlic cloves from oil and smash the garlic making it look like a puree. Set aside.
• Pour half of the stock into the pot of cooked potatoes. Using a hand mixer or immersion blender, puree the potatoes. Continue to add stock accordingly until the puree is thick but still pourable. Make sure the whole mixture is smooth. If the soup is still too thick, add more stock. Strain the soup in a fine mesh sieve; this is going to help remove the starchy, grainy feel from the potatoes. Strain the soup at least twice to get a nice smooth texture.
• Add the strained soup to a fresh clean pot and put it over medium-low heat. Whisk in the 1 cup of the half-and-half, 1/2 a cup of heavy cream and 3 tablespoons of butter. (This is where your palette is going to come into play, you can make this as smooth and buttery as you want.) Season with kosher salt and white pepper. Keep whisking and stirring, so as not to let the soup burn. Lower the heat and keep the soup warm.
• To make the garlic croutons:
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush the garlic oil on both sides of the bread slices. Arrange them on a sheet pan and put in the oven to toast on both sides. Remove from oven and spread prepared garlic confit on top.
• Assembly: Using a 4-ounce ladle, pour a ladle of soup into each bowl and squeeze a nice large circle of chive oil around the soup. Squeeze another large circle of beet reduction directly on top of the chive oil. Put 1 garlic crouton in the middle of each bowl. Garnish the croutons with a sprinkle of finely chopped chives.
• Fill a bowl with ice and water. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat. Once the water is at a boil, hold the bunch of chives with a pair of tongs. Put the chives into the water for 3 seconds and immediately remove to the ice water. Drain and dry the chives with a paper towel.
• In a blender add chives and oil and puree until smooth and thoroughly blended. Allow the mixture to sit overnight, then strain to remove any chive particles. Strain again through 4 layers of cheesecloth. Pour into a squeeze bottle and when ready to use, put the bottle into hot water to bring to room temperature.
• Puree the beets with a little bit of water in blender. Strain through a mesh strainer into a saucepan. Heat beet juice slowly over low heat and add the lemon juice. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and put it into a squeeze bottle.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
• Cut bread into dice-size cubes.
• Toss into medium size bowl.
• Mix oil into melted butter in small, separate bowl.
• Drizzle oil/butter over cubes, while tossing them around in the bowl.
• Keep tossing, while adding garlic.
• When evenly coated, place in single layer on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until browned.
• Cool.
• Store in airtight container or zip lock bag.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except bread cubes.
• In a large bowl, add bread and drizzle olive oil mixture over bread; toss to coat.
• Spread bread cubes on baking sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden, turning once.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Mix together the garlic, salt, and olive oil in a small bowl.
• Put the bread cubes on a baking sheet and drizzle the garlic oil over them.
• Toss to coat.
• Spread them out in a single layer.
• Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and very dry.
• About halfway through, stir once to brown evenly.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat margarine.
• Add seasonings.
• Cook for about 1 minute to soften.
• Stir in bread cubes and saute until browned and crisp.
• Scatter on tops of soups or salads just before serving.
• VARIATIONS: - try other seasonings of your choice such as curry powder, cut into cubes.
• Spread on ungreased baking sheet.
• Toast in 400 deg F oven for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp.
• Store in tin at room temperature for 1-2 days; some of their crispness will be lost if stored in plastic container.
• They may be reheated and crisped in 350 deg F oven for 5 minutes.

Steps:

• Saute the first 4 ingredients in oil and butter in a large skillet for 1 minute. Add the bread cubes, and toss gently until the liquid is absorbed.
• Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until crisp and golden, stirring occasionally.
• Store the croutons in an airtight container once they are completely cooled. Serve over tossed green salads. (Or, if you are like me, sneak guiltily into the kitchen and have some for a midnight snack!).