Summertime Grilled Bread, Four Ways.
You guys. I’m feeling so ollllllld. Like really, really old.
Last night I watched my littlest cousin graduate from high school and now I’m all “what! I was doing that five minutes ago. Not 12 years ago. WHAT.” And then I proceeded to listen to Delilah on the radio on the drive home which just proves my age so there you go.
Please tell me if you’re driving in the car late at night you listen to that too. It’s feels so GOOD. So wonderfully 90s. It feels like babydoll tees and your first bottle of herbal essences shampoo and mixed tapes while you wear stick on earrings and snap bracelets and way too much Sunflowers perfume.
The only good part about being old is that I now feel confident enough to use the grill on my own, as in not-burn-down-the-house-while-trying-to-light-the-grill. Such a big girl now.
My infatuation with grilled bread isn’t anything new, really. A few years ago I made this chicken and mushroom dish (one of our faves, I actually made it twice last week) with grilled bread and was insanely HOOKED. It’s one of the few dishes that we make over and over and over again… probably just because of the bread. I literally cannot stop eating it. And I mean that in the correct way. The proper use. Cannot stop.
This is the final part of my summertime happy hour with delallo, and this is the recipe I was referring to all week with the omg-it’s-my-favorite talk. This might be rivaling cheese plates for me at the moment.
Which
is
huge.
So four ways you say? Yes, four ways. Here they are. !!!!
First up, and easy and somewhat boring avocado mash but so not boring when it’s on grilled bread. I like to keep the avocado chunky, mix it with some crushed red pepper, salt and a bit of lime. This keeps it more on the avocado mash side instead of the guac side. I don’t know about you, but for me there are two very distinct camps. I do NOT like guacamole on toast. Just not into it. If it’s on some sort of sandwich, maybe, but when it comes to bread and toast and sandwiches, I prefer some regular avocado – almost plain.
Guac on toast is just weird to me. I only want it on chips or on burgers or on ten thousand tacos.
Second, I stuffed some pepperazzi with creamy goat cheese. These cute little mostly sweet peppers are one of my favorite things to add to cheese plates. They taste SO good placed on top of the bread and then drizzled with balsamic.
Next, I did a little twist on caprese grilled toast with a pesto cream sauce, sliced heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. And more balsamic glaze because I just can’t quit it.
This is absolutely my summer meal of choice and I am already deep in a caprese obsession.
Finally we finished it off with a sweet version, which isn’t super sweet but maybe just semi sweet. I whipped some ricotta and added a bunch of vanilla bean paste for flavor – but no extra sweetness. Slice some peaches, maybe some cherries or other fruit and bring out the honey. Spread the ricotta on the toast, top it with some ripe slices and then drizzle that golden syrup on top – it is just.too.good.
So see? Now you can picture why I am a total fanatic. You must try this. Puhlease. I will pay you in virtual cocktails.
Grilled Bread, Four Ways
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 loaves of rustic italian bread, sliced into 1-inch slices
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
spicy avocado mash
- 2 avocados
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
stuffed pepperazzi with balsamic glaze
- 1 (10-ounce) jar pepperazzi peppers
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- balsamic glaze for drizzling
caprese with pesto cream
- 2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced and seasoned with salt and pepper
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- balsamic glaze for drizzling
vanilla bean whipped ricotta with peaches
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 ripe peaches, thinly sliced
- honey for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to the high.
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter, basil, rosemary and cilantro. Take 3/4 of the sliced bread and spread one side with the herb butter. Leave the remaining slices plain since they work best with the ricotta and fruit.
- Before grilling the bread, set out the accompaniments so the bread is warm when serving. I like to mash the avocado with the lime and pepper flakes and place it in a bowl. Stuff the pepperazzi peppers with the goat cheese and place them in a bowl. Slice the tomatoes, slice the mozzarella and whisk together the sour cream and pesto. Finally, add the ricotta cheese to your food processor and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla paste and blend again until combined. Place the ricotta in a bowl and slice the peaches. In the video, we also served this with bing cherries! Delish.
- To grill the bread, place it on the grill and grill about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Keep an eye on it as the grill time will depend on where it is placed and how hot the grill is. I like to grill the plain bread first, then I finish with the bread with herb butter. Once all the bread is grilled, set it out with the avocado mash, caprese toppings, whipped ricotta + fruit and the stuffed pepperazzi. Dig in!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
^that’s my version of heaven. ^
56 Comments on “Summertime Grilled Bread, Four Ways.”
So I love all of these ideas and I’ll eat them all. I feel old too. Just went to my ten year high school reunion last month.
Can I come over for dinner.I will bring the wine and beer.
All of these sound great! That bit about being old enough to have confidence that you’re not going to burn down the house –> I hear ya! I even got my propane tank refilled last year and re-attached it to my bbq myself (#singlegirllife) and I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty proud of myself! All of your food this week makes me VERY excited to bbq this weekend!
I love grilled bread so much!!! And the herb butter addition sounds amazing!
Also–stick on earrings. I forgot all about those–couldn’t you buy like a month’s worth of stick on earrings that had different ones for every day of the week? Because I totally had those.
There is something so amazing about grilled bread. I love these variations!
These all sound delicious. Also try basil/tom/moz/balsamic with peaches – pretty great sweet addition and I tell myself I’m being extra healthy.
Looking scrumptious. Love the creativity here. I love that heirloom tomato.
Delilah though? Snap bracelets? Hmmm, might question your judgment there, just a little joke, hehe.
I might have to have friends over this weekend just so I can serve them grilled bread. Must have friends over so I don’t eat it all!
Sunflowers! Besides Baby Soft was there anything better? I think what I miss the most though is those giant roll-on glitter sticks that smelled like fake fruit. So good!
It just so happens I have basil, rosemary, and cilantro in my garden this year. Looks like I’ll be grilling some bread this weekend!
MY LIFE.
This looks great. I think I’ll spread some avocado as a bottom layer on all the variations. I love me some avocado!
I love this! Whenever I have grilled bread (which is so rare) I always think it’s the most amazing thing ever, but then I never remember to make it at home. But 4 ways?! And one that includes goat cheese?! It’s a must.
Is it bad that I like really love this post, but I can’t stop staring at that tomato on the cutting board?! Stunning!
These look fantastic! My favorite summertime meal is grilled bread is topped with grilled feta and tomato slices (and served with cold Chardonnay :). Just take a block of good Greek feta, rub with olive oil, season with oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, etc. Wrap the feta in foil and grill for about 5 mins on each side. Gooey feta deliciousness!
Oh these all look so amazingly delicious that it’s killing me that I don’t have a grill! I’m going to have to do something about that…
Swoon!!! I want ten of each!! These all look wonderful
Yep 12 years ago for me too… :/
Ah Delilah. Of course I grew up listening to her and tape recording the one time I get through to make a sappy song request! Summer 1994 I believe…I get so excited to still hear her on the radio. Keeps us young. Or old. Hmm…And how about I graduated high school in 1996. Yeah. I am old. But don’t feel it so it’s all ok.
Are you kidding me?? These photos of GORGEOUS!! I want all of this bread right now!
OMG-yes! I have no idea if this will work on my dinky little foreman grill, but I am determined to try.
Totally agree about guac on toast, btw. Just too…guac-on-toast for me.
Yum yum yum! I want to eat bread for days!! ALL THE BREAD!
This looks so awesome, though I don’t have a grill, just a grill pan. I’m sure it will work out :)
these photos are beautiful. I want all of this right. now.
I love the idea for the peaches, they are the best summertime fruit in my opinion! I finally found a good gluten free baguette, I can’t wait to try this!
Where did you find the good gluten free baguette? I’m dying to try these!
you should try using smoked mozzarella with your caprese, makes it infiinitely more delicious! i’ve been obsessed with caprese this summer too :)
Those all look incredible! Fantastic job :)
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Oh, Delilah…. My parents would always listen to her late at night while we were driving back from on family get together or another. I would always want to fall asleep, but I stayed awake just to hear all the stories and advice. Hahaha.
The grilled bread ideas look so fresh and perfect. I kind of just want to eat those for dinner!
I’ve just now started discovering the wonder that is grilled bread. I feel old too, when I realize I mostly like listening to ‘alternative’ stations on Pandora. Does that term even exist anymore?
I’m not a fan of guacamole on toast either – totally a difference between avocado toast and guacamole toast.
Anyway, these all look DELICIOUS!
I would gobble up each and every version – so good! So creative and so many choices. I totally prefer choices like this, little tapas-style things, variety is the spice of life. Bring on the summertime refreshments and I’m set! pinned
Delilah, Sunflowers, Herbal Essence…oh wow, sound like a blast from about 9th grade for me :)
I wish I had this for lunch today instead of what I actually had. sadness.
This is EPIC!! Can you puleeease come make this for me Jessica?! Just hit me on my pager!! ;-)
this looks sooo good, yum. thanks for sharing!
xo, cheyenne
I love listening to Delilah at night. So good! Also good are these little toast. My husband wouldn’t call this a dinner but a big snack. I hope we snack away all summer.
This looks perfect for summer Jessica!
Love the avocado on toast – one of my favorite things ever!! You should try it with some black sesame seeds on top – so tasty!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
Mmmm, I LOVE grilled bread…so sublime. Love your toppings!
Delicious summer finger foods. Love grilled bread with yummy toppings!
awesome post, awesome combo of flavors. thanks! still haven’t found a huge fascination in the 90s but maybe as i get a little older it will hit me…. ;)
Love it!!
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The fifth way: ALL OVER MY FACE.
You totally took me back with the Delilah reference! I have such vivid memories of sitting in my best friend’s bedroom, listening to Delilah and talking about all of our crushes and boy woes and daydreaming, and oh to be a teenager again! The scent I most associate with this time is cucumber melon from Bath & Body Works :) Holy body spray action.
YUM, these recipes look delicious! Was watching “Unique Eats” the other day and saw a chef use smashed green peas, pecorino, EVOO and salt & pepper! Now I have 4 more recipes to test on my friends and family :) Thanks for posting!
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This is amazing!!! Having friends over soon and was looking for a good summer appetizer… obsessed with this. Thank you for sharing!
Love this recipe and the idea of it being so simple yet so fabulous!! Your photography is beautiful! Keep it up:)
Best,
Alexi
http://www.pictricks.com
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