Cook the Book
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Use Richard Blais's piquant bread crumbs from his new book, Try This at Home, as a topping for caesar salad and pasta dishes.

Reprinted from Try This at Home: Recipes from my head to your plate by Richard Blais. Copyright 2013. Published by Clarkston Potter. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold.

About This Recipe

Yield: makes about 2 1/2 cups
Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups finely torn stale sourdough or white bread
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (dill, parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, or a combination of whatever you have on hand; you can use dried herbs instead, but use half as much
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced

Procedures

  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Scatter the torn bread on a baking sheet and toss with enough olive oil to lightly moisten but not saturate it, about 1 tablespoon. Season well with salt and pepper, scatter the herbs over the bread, toss well, and spread out. Bake until the bread is dried and beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

  2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and oil to the bread crumbs, toss to combine, and spread out. Return the crumbs to the oven and bake until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool the bread crumbs completely on the baking sheet (they can then be crushed finer with your hands, if you'd like).

  3. Store the crumbs in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.