One of the best meals that's easy to make and easy to eat is french bread pizza.It's a quick fix that can be the perfect weekday dinner or weekend .Like pizza it can have many toppings, all good.
Dawn Perry, a cookbook author and food director at Real Simple gave her spin on this kitchen classic in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Pizza is a good meal, especially during these cold times yet to make it from scratch is sometimes labor intensive. The dough is also finicky. An already baked baguette is perfect.There is one caveat about it. Lengths and widths will vary from fat squishy loaves to thin, crusty baguettes. Smaller loaves require less sauce and a thinner layer of cheese. Ms Perry recommends digging out some of the inside to make room for the sauce and the toppings. (I would just flatten it with a spoon or a fork). This extra can be pulsed into breadcrumbs in the food processor or torn into pieces, tossed with olive oil and salt and baked in a 350 degree Farenheit oven for some crusty breadcrumbs. You can also do the same with Italian bread too, but keep in mind that it's thicker and wider.
Ms. Perry gives three topping recipes , not unlike the giant of French bread pizza, Stouffer's. You can try her four cheese one with a Mornay sauce. This is an easy make involving flour, butter and milk (it can also be used for croque Monsiurs with the addition of grated Gruyere cheese). She uses mozzarella, pecorino and Parmesan. The sauce is spooned over the bread then topped with the cheeses. You can top it with red pepper flakes if you want or a sprinkle of oregano. There's also a pesto and mozzarella version with a pesto that can be made with the original herb basil but also with parsley. arugula and baby spinach leaves. Pine nuts are also needed but almonds can be added too.A fragrant garlic oil, made by cooking garlic in olive oil is brushed on the bread before putting on the pesto and mozzarella. Pizza lovers will enjoy the pepperoni and sauce one. It's a homemade sauce made with petite diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and oregano. It's mixed and spooned onto the bread. The pepperoni is tossed with mozzarella and Parmesan to coat it and it's then placed on top of the loaves. More cheese is placed on top for a cheesy bite.
A French bread pizza is the perfect meal on a cold night. It's easy to make and fun to eat. Try it with these tasty toppings.
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