Sometimes when I create a new recipe I have a certain dish or taste or maybe even just one key ingredient in mind. I go to the supermarket, pick up my ingredients and then I roll up my sleeves, disappear in the kitchen and do my thing.
Sometimes a little cursing is included, sometimes a glass of wine and sometimes I need to consult my husband when I can only say that something is missing but can’t detect it myself. I tweak it a little, I let someone else test and take the feedback into account though the ultimate verdict is always mine. Making a new recipe is a process I love and enjoy.
And sometimes nothing of the above applies.
Because sometimes you find something too perfect to be true just by chance. Like Newton found gravity. But whereas I am certainly no Newton I do not mind to follow a genius idea when it smacks my head.
On Saturday I prepared this recipe for Cheesy Mexican Stuffed Baguette for my sister’s birthday. I haven’t had a proper breakfast, had already been at the groceries and I needed food asap. The best thing about stuffing a baguette is that you always have leftover bread you don’t need anymore for the dish. Because I was lazy and because it’s epic I had decided to eat the leftover bread with some butter for breakfast lunch brunch.
I was a little under the weather and a little difficult and when I reached for the butter in the fridge it didn’t look so appealing anymore. I sat down on the kitchen floor and sulked a little. Stefan was gone so I had to cheer me up myself. I thought that maybe a little ice cream could do the trick and I reached for the freezer compartment. I opened it and right there on top sat the last portion of spiced butter I made earlier this summer! WINNER ding ding ding ding ding! The Sriracha Lime butter is long gone but I still had some Lemon Thyme butter left! Unfortunately it was frozen and thereby not really spreadable.
Against my nature I skipped the sulking and directly proceeded to cheer me up. Because I had remembered something epic from the past: croutons! I yanked out the frying pan, chopped the bread roughly and made oversized crispy yet a little soft roasted bread cubes with spicy and garlicy butter for my brunch.
The lighting in the kitchen was perfect so I spontaneously decided to treat the roasted bread to a little photo shoot. Then I inhaled the bread cubes!
So because I am such a great person and can’t bear the thought of you poor people licking your screens I will generously provide you with a lengthy description of the really difficult cooking process that led to this perfect Saturday brunch! Here you go!
Roasted Bread with Spiced Butter
Ingredients
- 1/3 - 1/2 baguette
- 2 -3 T spiced butter can still be frozen
Instructions
- For making homemade spiced butter just follow this easy recipe - of course you can also use store-bought
- Cut your baguette or bread of choice in medium to large cubes
- In a frying pan melt the butter and then add the bread cubes
- Brown on medium heat and stir occasionally until your desired crispness is reached
- Enjoy warm
Notes
After the frying I added a little more butter of a richer buttery flavor
In general any butter is possible though I think the spicier it is the better it gets. I can't wait to try this once I've made Sriracha Lime butter the next time.
I haven't tried this but I imagine a little crumbled feta on top would be divine!
*** Update*** I tried this with feta and black olives and it's indeed pretty darn divine!
Okay I have officially shot myself in the foot now. Because I am sitting here almost licking my screen and wanting roasted bread with spiced butter really really badly. Sadly it’s a fruit and veggie day today to compensate for all the fried food from yesterday. But this weekend I’ll make some butter and then roast the shit out of some bread!
So do you already have some fun weekend plans? Maybe roast some bread?
Are you a planner or do you improvise when cooking? I am going to speak a little about this tomorrow. Just so much: I am a contradiction!
Sometimes magic just happens in a recipe, like Avocado Cheese Panini, and this is certainly one of those occasions. I could eat bread with spiced butter for days! Imagine the spices too. The possibilities are endless.
Meg, I would eat your cauliflower soup, sans Oscar, with these poured over it.
Joint forces 😉
Me too! And did you realize that when this kind of magic happens there’s always bread or cheese or both involved?
And the possibilities are endless! I have two more spiced butter ideas I try to test this weekend!
A bowl full of crispy bread + spicy butter. OMG. Sounds like perfection.
It is 😉