Hot, bubbly cheese, buttery toast, and fresh snipped herbs are a captivating combination for a first course. Serve this in individual dishes for a more elegant presentation. In the summer, it is incredible with chopped fresh tomato. In the winter it takes on a completely different taste and feel topped with your favorite tomato sauce. Compound butters (see page 281) are flavored with herbs or spices. This recipe features tarragon butter, which is a classic French combination that makes this simple recipe taste spectacular. The flavoring possibilities for compound butters are vast: I once worked with a cowboy chef who made a compound butter for steak with freshly chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, and finely chopped jalapeño. Mix it up!

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

　　Juice of 1/2 lemon

　　3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

　　2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

　　1 shallot, chopped

　　Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 baguette, sliced 1/4 inch thick

　　1 (6-ounce) log fresh goat cheese, crumbled

　　2 tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped, or 1 cup of your favorite tomato, marinara, or pasta sauce

　　15 kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted

　　

Step 1

Position an oven rack 4 inches below the broiler element and preheat the broiler. To make the compound butter, stir the butter, lemon juice, tarragon, garlic, and shallot together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.

　　

Step 2

Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Spread the butter mixture on one side of each slice to coat. (Reserve the remaining butter in a sealable container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Use it to saute vegetables or make buttery herbed rice or pasta.) Broil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the toasts and broil the other side. Remove the toasts from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

　　

Step 3

Scatter the goat cheese on the bottoms of individual shallow gratin dishes or one ovenproof gratin dish or casserole. Top with the tomatoes and olives, and season with salt and pepper. Broil until bubbling and hot, 3 to 5 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Serve with the reserved herb toasts.

　　From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking, © 2008 by Virginia Willis. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Abe Books.