Buttered Toast Bread Sauce Recipes

TOASTED BREAD CRUMB AND BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Toast the bread crumbs in a small skillet (see page 93), tossing and stirring them, until they start to color. When they are almost completely browned, drop in 2 tablespoons of butter. Take the pan off the heat, and swirl it to melt the butter and stop the crumbs from darkening further.
• Melt the remaining butter in a big skillet over medium heat; grind pepper in generously.
• Ladle in 1 cup hot pasta water and cook actively for a couple of minutes, reducing the sauce slightly. Keep at low simmer until the pasta is ready.
• Toss cooked pasta and sauce together in the skillet. Off the heat, toss in the cheese and sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs on top of the pasta, just before serving.
• Follow the recipe for Toasted Bread Crumb and Butter Sauce above, but substitute 2 tablespoons poppy seeds for the crumbs. Toast them in the dry pan until they are fragrant, reserve some for topping if you like, then add the butter and swirl them together.
• Toss cooked pasta and sauce together in the skillet. Off the heat, toss in grated cheese and sprinkle the reserved toasted poppy seeds on top, just before serving. This sauce is especially good with Ricotta Ravioli.
• Egg pasta-tagliatelle
• Cornmeal pasta
• Ricotta Ravioli (page 181)
• Potato, Leek, and Bacon Ravioli (page 186)
• A simple pasta such as rigatoni or linguine

TOASTED BREAD-AND-BUTTER PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Butter both sides of bread slices and arrange in 1 layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven, turning over once, until lightly toasted, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until sugar is dissolved. Halve toasted bread slices diagonally and arrange triangles in rows, overlapping slightly, in a buttered 3-quart shallow baking dish.
• Pour custard evenly over toast and let stand 15 minutes.
• Bake pudding in a hot water bath until custard is set 2 to 3 inches from edges but still trembles in center, 50 to 60 minutes. (Custard will continue to set as it cools.) Serve warm.

BUTTERED TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Trim the crusts off four thin slices of loaf bread. Leave the slices whole or cut each slice (to serve as a base for certain savories such as angels on horseback, deviled chicken livers and so on) into uniform rectangles.
• Melt one tablespoon of butter and butter the bread on both sides. Arrange the bread pieces on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake six minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Turn the pieces and continue baking one or two minutes longer until browned on the second side.