Food on Fridays: Putting bread to the grill

We had a potluck dinner party on Sunday night. Good news was shared, babies performed to the height of cuteness, and a lot of nummy food was noshed. The many delights we indulged in included: marinated chicken that was grilled and then baked; a healthy and delicious bean and corn salad; and a labor-intensive cake with buttery frosting.

But by far the star of the show — the one thing everyone talked about for days afterwards — couldn’t have been simpler: grilled bread.

Any rustic bread will work. We used this massive loaf from Farm to Market, but even with 11 people we only needed half of it. (That’s okay. Anything that gives me an excuse to make bread pudding is a good thing).

Making grilled bread is pretty complicated, so get your pens ready. Here goes: Slice the bread. Brush with olive oil. Grill a couple of minutes on each side.

Phew! It’s over.

Now, the fun part: experiment with toppings. I served it with ricotta and a fresh tomato salad. But I’ve had it with goat cheese and grapes, mozzarella and sweet peppers, and much more. Basically, this is bruschetta at its very best. Rustic, chewy, and perfect for cool fall evenings.