Sunday, January 8, 2012

Garlicky Cherry Tomato and Bread Gratin


      Jacques Pepin is my hero, when it comes to experience and knowledge of cooking he is in a league of his own.  You have got to love a chef who turns down a job in the White House to work for Howard Johnson.  Mr. Pepin's recipe for Garlicky Cherry Tomato and Bread Gratin takes simple ingredients and transforms them into something wonderful.  Like a warm Panzanella salad, cherry tomatoes, day old French bread, garlic, olive oil and cheese bake into a crispy gratin with all the flavors of summer.  In a 10 inch oven, I baked the gratin for 30 minutes with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom and 18-20 on the lid.  If you're missing the sun ripened flavor of an off the vine tomato in the middle of winter, give this recipe a try.  Baking the cherry tomatoes heightens their flavor and their sweet juices are absorbed by the cubes of garlicky  bread.   

Garlicky Cherry Tomato and Bread Gratin
One 5-ounce piece of day-old French baguette with crust, cut into 1-inch cubes (5 cups)
1 1/2 pounds small cherry tomatoes (about 3 cups)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper.
     Scrape the mixture into prepared dutch oven.
     Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bread cubes are browned and crisp and the tomatoes are very tender.
     Serve warm or at room temperature.
   
Mix ingredients well in a large bowl then pour into dutch oven

Bake at 375 degrees for thirty minutes or until tomatoes are tender and bread is golden

Serve with a rotisserie chicken for an easy weeknight meal

6 comments:

  1. My mouth is watering that looks so darn good.

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  2. Sassy, everybody loved this, not a crumb was left in the dutch oven, great way to use up that stale bread too, Liddy

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  3. There better not have been one crumb left... lol I will have to make this soon!

    Thank you for all you do and post, greatly, greatly appreciated. You have so much here, I can't even fathom cooking outside everyday, I WISH. When my hand heals better, I'll get to go back to DO cookin'

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  4. Thank you for your nice comments Sassy, hope you feel better soon, must be very difficult to function without the full use of your hand, Liddy

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  5. I was strolling around this recipe since a time.
    My yesterdays leftovers from a bbq gathering told me: do it! And I did!

    What can I say? This recipe has a place under my top ten side dishes now!!!!

    Greetz from germany - Outlaw

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    1. So glad you liked the recipe Outlaw, this is one of my favorites as well, thanks for letting me know, Liddy

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