Garlic Bread
1 baguette
Pesto butter (recipe follows)
3 – 4 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 ½ to 2 cups of mozzarella, shredded
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Slice bread in half lengthwise. Spread pesto butter on both sides. Add a layer of shredded mozzarella. Top with sliced tomatoes, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the bread. Place the bread on top of a pizza stone, which has been preheated to 425, and bake for 10 minutes or until mozzarella is melted and bubbling.
Pesto Butter
1 cup butter
1 cup fresh basil leaves
3 – 6 cloves of garlic
Process fresh basil in food processor until well chopped. Add garlic and pulse a few seconds. Add butter and process until well blended.
The butter can also be frozen, simply add tablespoon size spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper and freeze until butter is hard. Remove from freezer and store in a zip lock bag for future use.
Basil Salt
½ cup kosher salt
½ cup fresh basil leaves
Pulse salt and basil leaves in a food processor. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until dry, about 30 – 40 minutes, tossing halfway through. Let cool and pulse again to make a fine powder.
