Crostini is toast—no big deal. Yet it serves as a perfect base for dips and spreads, from Tapenade (page 604) to Fresh Tomato Salad (page 172). Good, too, with ricotta or goat cheese blended with chopped parsley or basil; tomato, country ham (like prosciutto), and olive oil; Brandade de Morue (page 56); or Canapés with Piquillo Peppers and Anchovies (page 48). Parsley or basil is always welcome as a garnish. If you’re making just a few crostini, you can use a toaster oven, but for large quantities a grill or oven works best. The toasted bread itself will keep for an hour or so; don’t top it until you’re ready or nearly ready to eat.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 servings

　　Extra virgin olive oil as needed

　　1 loaf Italian bread or French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices

　　

Step 1

Prepare a grill or preheat the oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Lightly brush the oil onto both sides of each slice of bread. Grill or bake until grill lines appear or until golden and slightly crisp, about 10 minutes. Turning is unnecessary but doesn’t hurt.

　　

Garlic Crostini

Step 3

Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the bread with the cut side after grilling. For a more subtle version, mince a couple of cloves of garlic and mix with the olive oil before brushing it on the bread.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.