
3 Delicious Ways To Top A Baguette
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Photo Courtesy of Good Eggs
While the verdict is still out on whether the French have it all figured out with parenting (hello, best-seller Bringing up Bébé!), there is one thing they’ve surely mastered—the art of the fresh baguette. Filled with possibilities, the long, narrow loaf can be topped and served open-face, closed-face, toasted, or ripped off in hunks and served with soup (or nothing else at all). Below, we’ve pulled three recipes from our friends at Good Eggs that showcase a variety of baguette toppings ideas that are sure to satisfy any hungry mama—and maybe even her kids, too. [Ed note: We’ve been living off of the first one all summer long!]
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Samin Nosrat’s Goat Cheese, Stone Fruit, and Cilantro Sandwich
Ingredients:
1 fresh baguette
Laura Chenel goat cheese
1 lb stone fruit
A pinch of cilantro
Directions:
Step 1: Slice the baguette into 4 pieces, and slice each in half (toast the slices if you have a little extra time!).
Step 2: Slice the log of goat cheese into 8 coins.
Step 3: Slice around the hemisphere of each piece of stone fruit, and twist to pull apart. Remove the pit, and slice into wedges.
Step 4: Pick cilantro leaves from their stems.
Step 5: Layer 2 slices of goat cheese onto four of the slices of baguette, and top with a few stone fruit wedges and cilantro leaves. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread, and serve or wrap to take to-go!
Note: Though perfectly delicious as is, this sandwich would benefit from a little heat! Toast the goat cheese and bread together for a few minutes before adding the stone fruit for a little something extra.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
Adapted slightly from Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat cookbook.
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Toast with Burrata & Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients:
Sliced baguette (or sliced country bread)
2 pints cherry tomatoes
A handful of garlic cloves
olive oil
8 oz burrata (optional)
A handful of basil, torn or roughly chopped
Flaky salt, to taste
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 225°F.
Step 2: Spread tomatoes and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and toss with a few good glugs of olive oil.
Step 3: Bake for 2½ to 3 hours, or until tomatoes just begin to shrivel.
Step 4: Brush bread slices with oil, and toast or grill until golden brown. Rub with roasted garlic.
Step 5: Divide the burrata over toasts (if using) and top with tomatoes, basil, flaky salt, and another drizzle of olive oil.
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Steak Sandwich with Salsa Verde
Ingredients
1 fresh baguette (or ½ loaf ciabatta, or your favorite sandwich bread)
2 spring onions, minced
3-4 tbsp red wine vinegar
olive oil
3 cups parsley, roughly chopped
3 oz Castelvetrano olives, pitted and roughly chopped
3 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
½ lb New York steak, sirloin or strip steak
Directions:
Step 1: Put spring onions in a bowl and cover with red wine vinegar. Let macerate for 5-10 minutes, then add parsley, olives, and capers and mix to combine. Add enough olive oil and vinegar so that it’s a “drizzle-able” texture—just thicker than a pesto. Salt to taste and set aside.
Step 2: Place a cast-iron pan over high heat. Pat steak dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. When the pan is very hot, place the steak in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side (the internal temperature should read 140°F for medium-rare). Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes, then slice against the grain.
Step 3: Oil or butter thick pieces of ciabatta or baguette and toast them to your favorite level—we like a bit of char on ours! Then slather toast with salsa verde, pile it high with steak and enjoy.
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