Ina Garten Serves Up a Heavy-Garlic Twist on Classic Baguette Toast

Cookbook author and television host Ina Garten has released a detailed method for a garlic bread dish she labels "Outrageous."

Garten’s version departs from the standard practice of quickly toasting baguette halves with garlic butter. Her recipe requires a longer preparation time to build a more complex flavor profile. The method relies on slow-cooking garlic to achieve a tender texture before combining it with hard cheese and citrus zest.

The garlic base consists of one full head of cloves cooked in 12 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter. This mixture simmers for 20 minutes until the garlic becomes very tender. Once cooled, the garlic is mashed directly into the butter. The blend then incorporates one cup of freshly grated Italian Parmesan, two tablespoons of minced fresh parsley, two teaspoons of grated lemon zest, and a quarter teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. Salt and black pepper finish the seasoning.

The recipe serves eight people and uses a single 20 to 24-inch crusty French baguette. The bread is sliced lengthwise and scored diagonally to create serving-size segments. The garlic and cheese mixture is spread generously over the cut sides. The four resulting pieces bake on a parchment-lined sheet pan at 450 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes. The topping is ready when it turns bubbly and begins to brown. The finished bread is finished with a sprinkle of fleur de sel or sea salt.

Garten notes that the garlic mixture can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. To use the pre-made mix, it should be warmed briefly in a microwave until spreadable. The recipe appears in her book "Modern Comfort Food." Food writer Cathy Thomas, who authored the piece for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, has published three cookbooks including "Melissa’s 50 Best Plants on the Planet."