It began with a baguette. Like all good plans gone awry, this baguette started out with the greatest of expectations. As it left the market in its crinkly paper bag, it had high hopes for sopping up that last bit of soup, or being dipped in a drizzling of peppery olive oil. But alas, it was forgotten, neglected, and turned stale.
Three days later, I noticed the baguette looking at me expectantly from the counter.
“Croutons?” I suggested
“Obvious.”
“Crostini?”
“Yawn. You can do better than that.”
“Okay, fine. Bread crumbs?”
“Really, Jennifer? You left me on the counter for the better part of a week. I narrowly escaped the trash.”
Alright, alright. Think, think, think…
“I’ve got it! We’ll slice off your crust into little sheets. We’ll toss you in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and sea salt, and bake until you’re toasted and golden around the edges.”
“And?”
“And? What do you mean and?!?”
“And…what are people supposed to eat me with? Hmmmmm?”
This is ridiculous. I can’t believe I’m talking to a baguette.
“You owe me one.”
“I really can’t wait to eat you.”
“Fabulous. Now, what are you going to eat me with?”
“Caramelized Onion Dip?”
“That was so three weeks ago.”
“FINE! Tapenade! I will eat you with tapenade!!!”
“What kind?”
“A mixed olive tapenade with toasted almonds, capers, and olive oil infused with lemon zest, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Will that work for you, YOUR CRUSTINESS?!?”
“I knew you could do it. And think, I could have been breadcrumbs.”
“Okay, baguette. Maybe you’re not so bad after-all.”
“You’re really going to miss me.”
“I know.”
“I’m your greatest inspiration. Your mentor, your confidante…”
“You’re being smug. I’m going to eat you now.”
Crunch.
- One cup pitted green olives, such as picholine, manzanilla, or cerignola (or pit your own, see note)
- One cup pitted black olives, such as kalamata or nicoise
- ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted and finely chopped (see note)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and dried
- kosher salt to taste, if needed
- rosemary baguette chips for serving (recipe below)
- Infuse the olive oil: Put the olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and lemon zest in a small saucepan or frying pan, and warm the mixture over moderately low heat for about five minutes (the garlic should appear softened, but not golden. If it starts to bubble, turn down the heat and remove the pan from the stovetop for a few seconds). Set the mixture aside until cooled.
- Chop, chop: Pulse the green olives in a food processor until finely chopped and place in a medium bowl. Pulse the black olives in the food processor and add to the bowl.
- Mix it all together: Add the capers, almonds and olive oil mixture to the medium bowl, and stir well to combine. Season with kosher salt, if needed.
To toast the almonds, heat a medium frying pan over medium high heat, and cook the almonds, tossing and stirring frequently, until they are aromatic, and golden in spots. Remove from the heat.
- 2 baguettes (slightly stale is best, but a fresh, crusty baguette will work too)
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
- 2 large cloves garlic, put through a press, or minced and smashed to a paste with a fork
- ¼ cup olive oil
- a sprinkling of kosher salt (about ¼ teaspoon)
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Slice the crust off of the baguettes, then cut into chip-sized pieces. In a large bowl, toss together the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and kosher salt. Transfer the crusts to 2 baking sheets, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until crispy and golden around the edges.
Hehe, loved the post 🙂
Hahaha this post brightened my day! I loved the little baguette conversation, it was too cute 🙂
Check out my blog also if you get a chance!
http://www.thecollegecooker.com
….stale baguettes beware!!!!! You will still be eaten with this wonderful mélange!!!!
That’s right, stale baguettes…there’s no escaping the inevitable:)
1. A while back someone gave me a few nice bottles. I decided to make infused olive oil, so already have garlic & thyme! AND…I used extra virgin!
2. I have a pitter that does cherries & OLIVES!!! (on a roll here….however….
3. Can I used dried rosemary? It snowed here for 800 hours…. 🙁
Great tapenade BTW!
Debbi–so you’re stuck in the big snowstorm!?! Here in Denver, we’re enjoying comparatively balmy temperatures. Sure, you can use dried rosemary. I’m thinking you might have to use slightly more dried than fresh, or just use extra fresh thyme. With your infused oil, you’re already halfway there! Good luck, and thanks for reading!
What a tasty looking tapenade!
Loved your post! I’ve been known to be in love with a baguette…I even blogged about it http://www.glutenfreespinner.com/2010/10/my-day-with-baguette.html Your Tepenade looks amazing, I’ll have to try it.
I’m new to your site and it’s absolutely beautiful.
Yummy!!!
I can’t wait to try this one. I’m always in need of a new appetizer idea and this one sounds delicious.
Thank you for the nice recipes.
My son and I made this for a holiday party, it was Real good. A ten year old gobbling it up, go figure. We added anchovey paste instead of salt, trying to make a traditional tapanade from Spain for a school project. It really was delicious, we pared it with goat cheese and fresh sour dough.