Bluetons (Blue Cheese Croutons) – Trademark Pending

As promised, here are the blue cheese croutons you saw floating on top of the roasted apple and parsnip soup we posted yesterday. They were just perfect together, and as I ate my soup, dozens of other, “perfect togethers,” easily came to mind.

We only use three ingredients here, which is why this works so well. Try to resist the temptation to add salt, pepper, or other spices, as the blue cheese will provide all the punch you need. We’re going for pure blue cheese flavor in a buttery, crunchy package, and anything else would just get in the way.

Another tip here is to use bread that’s not too stale. I find that dry bread makes a crispy-hard crouton; verses fresher bread, which has more crispy-brittle texture. You can file that one under theories I can’t prove, but don’t need to.

The type of blue cheese really doesn’t matter to the technique, but the sharper, and more intense the flavor, the better. Like I always say, you're the boss, so use whatever you like. Speaking of which, Michele gets credit for the, "Louis Vuitton of your blue cheese crouton" line. I was going to go with "the Chef John of..." but hers was much better.

I guessed at some amounts below, but you don’t need those, since this is simply as much butter and cheese as you feel comfortable with. I hope you give these blue cheese croutons a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions Blue Cheese Croutons:

1/2 loaf fresh or day old bread (try to use something not already dry and hard)

5-6 tbsp hot melted unsalted butter

2-3 ounces strong blue cheese, placed in freezer until firm
*bake at 350 F. until browned and crisp.