Among Friends Thursday- Maria's Crusty Bread

This recipe is the one I promised yesterday that I would tell you more about. Maria's recipe in Among Friends is actually "Grilled Brie and Tomato on Crusty Bread." I didn't make the brie and tomatoes although they do sound amazing. I wanted the crusty little appetizer sized toasts for the Feta and Banana Pepper Spread I made yesterday. Something similar to French bread.  Just look at that photo and you can see how light it is. This bread, made light with egg whites, is very airy, not at all dense. It toasts beautifully and gets really crisped. Perfect for flavorful toppings. That makes a great appetizer for low carbers. Think cheese, bruschetta, deli meats and pesto, etc. This would not be my first choice for sandwiches, but for crisps--dead on!  It is a lot like making a Revolution Roll or Oopsie, but with Maria's signature touch of protein. The holes are not actually yeast action, but where I failed to get my cream cheese completely mixed in. I am always so careful not to deflate the whites, I sometimes still have a little glob of cheese that stays behind. I like it that way, so that is fine. It makes it seem even more like French bread.

 I have a chimichurri sauce I am making next, and I think it would make another winner combined with this crusty bread. I'll get to that recipe later--the store was out of parsley.

I had some bread leftover, so tonight I sliced it and toasted slices again. For this meal, I smothered them with Beef Stroganoff. Delish. It reminded me of the toast with brown gravy we used to eat at a diner next to my Grandpa's store. Definitely nothing like Maria's recipe, but good none the less. I still do want to try the brie and tomatoes. I adore tomatoes grilled or broiled with olive oil. If you want to try any variation, the recipe is on page 130 of Low Carbing Among Friends I. (That is more important to note now since Jennifer is busy editing the next volume! I will be a featured cook in that one, then will take a break for volume 3. There are so many talented low carb cooks out there!) If you haven't ordered it, hurry up and click on that link to the right. You will want to give yourself time to make so many of the recipes before the next book comes out.