Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way
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Goat cheese toasts make excellent hors d'oeuvres or garnishes for a salad. I like the small Bûcheron goat cheese, which is about 1 3/4 inches in diameter, or any other soft, creamy, and mild goat cheese of about the same size. Montrachet is also a very good imported chèvre, or goat cheese. Combining the cheese with a little herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning and some slivered garlic adds complexity. The toasts can be assembled and toasted at the last minute. —Jacques Pépin
Preheat the broiler. Cut as many 1/4-inch slices from a baguette as you need for serving. Arrange the slices side by side on a baking sheet. Cut enough 1/4-inch-thick slices from a tubelike container of goat cheese (dental floss is good for slicing the cheese) for each of the bread rounds. Press a slice of cheese on each slice of bread, taking care to cover the entire surface of the bread so it doesn't burn under the broiler. Sprinkle a small amount of herbes de Provence on each toast and a bit of freshly ground black pepper. Using a vegetable peeler, remove thin slices from a large peeled garlic clove and press 1 sliver in the center of the cheese on each toast. Sprinkle each toast with a few drops of olive oil. Slide the toasts under the broiler, so they are 4 to 5 inches from the heat source, for about 2 minutes, or until the tops are bubbly, hot, and lightly browned. Arrange the toasts on a serving platter. Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.