Fresh Parsley
Garlic Baguette Toasts
Elevate your garlic bread with this vibrant, fresh parsley and garlic spread. Made with curled parsley, shallots, and a splash of lemon, it's perfectly balanced and ready in minutes.
While classic garlic bread often relies on dried herbs and garlic powder, this fresh herb spread takes inspiration from French persillade. By blending a generous amount of fresh curled parsley with sweet shallots and sharp garlic, the topping stays bright and vibrant. Splitting the batch to use both butter and olive oil offers a fun side-by-side tasting experience of rich versus fruity flavor profiles.
Ingredients
- 1 French baguette
- 50 g fresh curled parsley
- 2 heads garlic
- 20 g shallots
- 1 splash lemon juice
- 5 g salt
- to taste black pepper
- 20 g olive oil
- 25 g unsalted butter
Instructions
- 1Prepare the garlic and shallots
Place the two heads of garlic and 20g of shallots into a small food processor. These will form the aromatic base of your sauce.
Tip: Peel the garlic and shallot skins completely before processing to ensure a smooth sauce texture. - 2Add fresh parsley
Add 50g of washed and dried fresh parsley (curled parsley) into the processor on top of the garlic and shallots.
Tip: Ensure the parsley is thoroughly dried after washing to prevent the sauce from becoming too watery. - 3Blend the ingredients
Pulse or blend the garlic, shallots, and parsley until they are finely chopped and well combined into a uniform green mixture.
Tip: Be careful not to over-process into a puree; you want a textured, finely minced consistency. - 4Season the mixture
Transfer the chopped mixture to a bowl and add a splash of lemon juice to brighten the flavor.
Tip: Freshly squeezed lemon juice provides the best flavor for this sauce. - 5Add seasonings
Add 5g of salt and freshly ground black pepper to the mixture on a kitchen scale to ensure accurate seasoning.
Tip: Adjust the black pepper according to your preference for heat. - 6Mix thoroughly
Use a spoon or spatula to stir the parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice together until everything is evenly combined.
Tip: Ensure the salt is well distributed throughout the mixture. - 7Add olive oil to the parsley mixture
Take one half of the prepared parsley, garlic, and shallot mixture and add 20g of olive oil to it. Mix thoroughly to combine the flavors.
Tip: Ensuring the mixture is well-incorporated will provide a consistent flavor across your baguette slices. - 8Add cooled melted butter to the parsley mixture
Take the remaining half of the parsley mixture and add 20g of melted butter to it. Make sure the melted butter has cooled down sufficiently before adding it to avoid cooking the fresh herbs.
Tip: Always allow the melted butter to cool slightly; adding it while too hot can turn the vibrant green herbs brown. - 9Slice the baguette
Place a long baguette on a wooden cutting board and use a serrated bread knife to cut it into diagonal slices. Cut them evenly so they will toast at the same rate when placed in the oven.
Tip: A serrated knife is best for slicing crusty bread without crushing the soft interior. - 10Spread the mixture
Take the baguette slices and generously spread either the olive oil or the butter parsley mixture onto one side of each piece. Ensure the spread reaches all the way to the edges for maximum flavor in every single bite.
Tip: Spread the mixture all the way to the very edges of the bread to prevent the exposed crust from burning in the oven.
