Baked Garlic Served in Rustic Toasted Bread

[Olga Drozd]

BAKED GARLIC:

It might take a bit of coaxing to convince guests that this garlic appetizer won't put a crimp in their socializing.  Baked garlic is sweet and inoffensive and very sensuous.  Roasted garlic heads are placed inside hollowed toasted round rustic bread. Guests take off a garlic clove and tear off part of the bread and then spread the softened garlic on it.

3 heads  garlic (these are heads, not cloves)
2 Tablespoons clarified butter
2 Tablespoons chicken broth
3 sprigs (1 1/2 to 2 inches each) fresh rosemary, OR 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Salt and white pepper

1 round Italian bread), about 1 1/2 pounds
4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300º degrees F.

Remove outer paper skin from garlic heads.  Don't separate into cloves.  Fit heads into a 1 3/4 cup ovenproof dish.

Combine butter and chicken broth and pour over garlic.  Arrange rosemary around garlic (or sprinkle with dried rosemary).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with butter mixture.

Meanwhile, cut a 3 to 4 inch circle off the top of the bread and reserve the top.  Hollow out the inside, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. (Hollowed out bread pieces can be frozen and used for bread crumbs or bread pudding.)  Cut bread in half, starting from the top, leaving about 1 to 2 inches joined at the bottom.  Then cut each half into 4 wedges, leaving bottom joined.  Place sheet of foil on cookie sheet.  Place bread on top of it.

Brush inside of bread and inside of bread top, with melted butter.  Place in oven during last 15 minutes garlic is baking and warm through.

To serve, place bread in an attractive bowl (a round straw basket is wonderful) and arrange garlic heads inside.  Cover with bread lid.  Allow guests to remove bread lid, take off a garlic clove and pinch it to remove the skin.  Then guests can tear off part of the bread and spread the softened garlic on it.  Serves 8.