National French Bread Day - Mar. 21st; Chef Clare Smyth

Chef Clare Smyth

Clare Smyth got her start waitressing, was soon inspired to become a chef. She has worked around the world, and Gordon Ramsay offered her a job in 2002, where she worked her way up to senior sous chef. She left to get still more experience, but came back in 2008, where she was promoted to Head Chef. She is the first female British chef to hold a 3-star Michelin rating. She was honored in 2013 by Queen Elizabeth II with being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services in the hospitality industry.

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March 21st is French Bread Day. The baguette can be so versatile, from simply eating it with a bit of brie to little crostini appetizers to skinny pizzas, French bread is wonderful to have around. One of my favorite ways to doctor a loaf is to make garlic cheese bread.

Garlic Cheese Bread
Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread

butter or margarine

garlic powder

1 lb mozzarella cheese

parsley, if desired

Directions: Preheat broiler to 450ºF. Split the loaf in half and cut into 3-4” squares. Spread butter on the halves of the French bread. Sprinkle garlic powder over that. (Alternatively, you can mix finely minced fresh garlic with softened butter, and spread that on the bread.) Cover with cheese. Sprinkle a little parsley on the cheese if desired. Broil until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from broiler and let cool a little before serving.

NOTE: Cover the pan with foil before putting the bread on it. The cheese tends to melt and make a mess; doing this will speed up clean up.

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