Under the Tuscan Sun (wishful thinking, that is)

Baguettes and Bruschettas sound so exotic, it makes me want to go to Tuscany, or vice versa rather :)

This is my first time with plain baguettes and i figured a lot of cool stuff can be whipped up in no time. They go well with soups or as a starter or a simple snack as for that matter. Its easy to prepare if you have all the ingredients and most of these, are stuff you'd have in your refrigerator.

Stuffed baguette

French baguette- one, half

Cheddar cheese- 4 tbs

Tomato puree- 1 tsp

Cream cheese- 100gms

Olives- 1/4 cup finely chopped

Pepper powder- to taste

Garlic- 2 pods, finely chopped

Slice off both the ends of the baguette and hollow it out carefully, leaving about half an inch of crust.

Mix the cream cheese and cheddar till nice and soft and add the rest of the ingredients. Check for salt and add if required.

Scoop and fill the baguette with the cheese mix. Wrap with a cling film and refrigerate for upto 2 hours.

Slice and serve with soups or as an appetiser.

I am sending this entry to the No Cook Event hosted by PJ of Seduce your tastebuds.

Notes: Add sun dried tomatoes, meats or any other cheese of your choice and make it more exciting

If you want you can heat it a wee bit just before you serve, but i prefer it cold.

Bruschetta

With left-over baguette, use it as a Bruschetta and be creative with any topping of your choice. Here are a few options:

Pre-heat the grill and grill the bread for one minute, on either side, till they are crispy. Drizzle olive oil and top with mashed tomato and basil, feta cheese with garlic and chives, pancetta, season with freshly ground salt and pepper and drizzle some more olive oil on top and serve. Its brrrriiilliant!