Grammy's Recipe Book Sides

Croutons

Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 minstart to eating

Times are our estimates for Grammy's recipe, with unhurried prep.

Grammy's handwritten page for Croutons
Page 28 · full size

As written

Word for word from her page, with her spelling and line breaks. [?] marks a word we couldn't read.

Crutons

1/2 cup olive oil
4 oz. butter
4 cloves garlic
fish out oil -
add bread - fresh bread cubed
brown lightly
salt

Grammy's recipe

Her recipe, typed out to cook from: her amounts and her words, with abbreviations spelled out and the steps numbered.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 4 ounces (1 stick) butter
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • Fresh bread, cubed
  • Salt

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil, butter and garlic together, then fish the garlic out of the oil.
  2. Add the cubed fresh bread and brown lightly.
  3. Salt.

Modernized

A present-day cookbook version, with missing steps filled in. These are suggestions, not her words.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 6 cups cubed bread (¾-inch cubes), a day or two old
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (optional)

Method

  1. Warm the oil, butter and garlic in a large skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until the garlic is golden and fragrant.
  2. Fish out the garlic.
  3. Add the bread and toss to coat. Cook over medium heat, turning often, until golden and crisp all over, 8–10 minutes.
  4. Toss with the salt and Parmesan while hot. Cool on a sheet pan so they stay crisp.

Ideas to play with

Twists and variations to try. Suggestions, not hers.

  • Oven method for a crowd

    Toss the cubes with the garlic oil and bake at 375°F for 12–15 minutes, stirring once.

  • Herbed

    Add dried Italian herbs or fresh chopped rosemary with the salt.

  • Soup topper

    Scatter over Grammy’s gazpacho or pea soup.

  • Stuffing head start

    Make a big batch in November for the Thanksgiving stuffing.