Monday, January 31, 2011

Cheese and Chive Bread: A Fabulous Appetizer or Side




There are so many posts out there for the Super Bowl. Lots of great ideas for the ultimate party. We're hoping to have a Super Bowl shindig ourselves and it's going to be difficult figuring out what to make! If you're in the same boat, check out these great posts for inspiration:

45 Super Bowl Recipes from Brown Eyed Baker (especially those Steelers cookies!)
101 Super Bowl Recipes, a compilation by Recipe Girl
Super Bowl Sliders by A Communal Table
Honey-Sriracha Glazed Buffalo Wings by White on Rice Couple
Chocolate Pudding Pie by Ezra Pound Cake
Reuben Dip by Undercover Caterer
Sloppy Joe Nachos on Serious Eats


I'm thrilled about the Steelers making the Super Bowl, but I'm not going to be able to add any game-day dishes that haven't been covered. Instead, I offer this recipe from Dorie Greenspan's gorgeous Around My French Table.

I'm a member of French Fridays with Dorie and haven't been cooking along with the group lately, but I've been using a ton of other recipes from the book. It's a treasure and a must-have for cookbook collectors. Dorie makes food approachable. Her recipes are not outrageously complicated and they're flexible with many kinds of changes.

This savory quick bread is wonderful as a side or an appetizer. It smells absolutely terrific and tastes even better. Super Bowl, Valentine's Day, a random Wednesday... it works with many meals and many occasions. The only caveat to this recipe is that the bread doesn't keep for long, so bake it and serve it the same day.

Cheese and Chive Bread
(From Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (use less salt if you switch the Gruyère to a saltier cheese)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
2 ounces Gruyère, cut into small, approximately 1/4" cubes
1/2 cup minced fresh chives

Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.

Grease a 8 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4 inch loaf pan with butter.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together until foamy and blended. Add the milk and olive oil and whisk to combine. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Add the cheeses and chive and stir until just combined. Do not overmix or else the bread will be tough.

Pour dough into prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 35-45 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a slender knife into the center and it should come out clean. Remove from oven to a cooling rack for a few minutes, then gently ease the loaf from the pan and cool right side up. Serve immediately.

Confession: I was working on genetics homework, typed up the recipe as a break, it was the middle of the night, and I didn't double-check when I eventually posted. I won't do that again. :) Baking powder accidentally omitted from the post and it's "1/2 cup of chives". Thanks to Dillon and Maggi for catching the errors!

20 bites:

Darlene said...

I love that you posted another easy and very approachable bread recipe that doesn't require the use of yeast. I think I'm almost ready to leave my comfort zone and tackle one of the bread recipes you posted. This is at the top of the list since it included cheese!

Damaris @Kitchen Corners said...

I won't be watching the super bowl. I only do the world cup. But I will be making this bread. It looks fantastic.

Sonia said...

A vibrant bread with so much greens...urges me to bake one !

Duchess said...

looks fab!

Leanne said...

Cheese in bread is so good. Does it make a big loaf? Because if I'm going to end up eating an entire loaf of bread by myself, I should at least know what I'm getting into...

kirbie said...

This bread looks yummy! I think I might try it out for superbowl if I have time.

Mary said...

Oh that looks really delicious! Anything with cheese is a winner to me. I'm with Darlene, too - a non-yeast bread is something I'd be more likely to bake myself.

vtkitchen said...

wow, this bread looks wonderful. bread usually doesn't last too long when i make it either. it gets really hard and inedible. i guess that just makes it french though ;)

Aimee said...

another bread that has to be eaten quickly? and it has cheese?

uhm. okay. :)

what a gorgeous photo, too!

Dillon said...

you missed out one big important ingredient - baking powder :)

Meandering Eats said...

Dillon- Wow, that's the brain fart of the century. Thanks for the catch! Recipe corrected.

Darlene, Mary- Why no yeast? It's such a lovely little organism.

Damaris- Hahaha... I'm a recent Super Bowl convert. Still in it more for the food.

Sonia, Duchess, Kirbie, Aimee- Thanks! It's pretty tasty!

Leanne- It's a standard sized loaf... if not slightly smaller b/c it's an 8-inch loaf vs. a 9-inch. Not a single serving, but not gigantic.

vtkitchen- Yeah, this dries out pretty quickly, but get the book and Dorie recommends all sorts of things you can do with it. It's a recipe that can be tinkered with and you might get results that last longer.

Michelle @ Brown Eyed Baker said...

Your bread looks awesome! I have this recipe bookmarked in Dorie's book to try too. Thank you also for including a link to my Super Bowl roundup! GO STEELERS! :)

Unknown said...

Sounded so good I made it, but I think baking powder/soda is left out. Plus no amount on chives. Can you confirm, this sounds and smells wonderful!
Maggi

Carolyn said...

I am not at a loss for what to have on gameday, but I might just have to add this bread to the line-up anyway, it looks delicious!

Meandering Eats said...

Michelle- That roundup rocked! GO STEELERS!

Maggi- Ack! Baking powder was corrected, but you caught error #2: "cup" was missing. Thank you!! The recipe should be correct now. Let me know how it turns out!

Carolyn- It tastes great with beer! :) Enjoy the game!

Damaris @Kitchen Corners said...

I am making this bread tonight for dinner. Do you think swiss cheese would work?

Meandering Eats said...

Hey Da! Yeah, I think Swiss cheese will totally work. The cookbook also suggests adding bits of ham. You could try bacon, too! :) Let me know how it turns out. And make sure you double check the post for the corrections!

Meandering Eats said...

Another comment to Maggi... I misread your comment and thought you meant you were going to make it. And it looks like you already made it. Sorry about the errors! Thanks for the feedback!

RecipeGirl said...

This looks amazing- so good for dunking in soup or topping with chili!

Thx for the shout-out!

Amber said...

Awesome photo! That looks sooo appetizing.

20 bites