Coffin Bread with French Onion Dip
Scare up some appetites with this amazing appetizer/snack.
Ingredients
For the French onion dip:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 4 large onions, chopped
- 4 tablespoons thyme leaves, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 can beef consommé
- 3 cups sour cream
For the coffin bread:
- 1 large Pullman or any rectangular-shaped bread loaf
For serving:
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
- 1 quart baby potatoes in various colors
- 1 loaf pumpernickel bread
- 1 bunch kale
- A few grates of fresh nutmeg
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.
Place a large pan over medium-high heat with three turns of the pan of EVOO. Add the onions, thyme and some salt and pepper to the pan and put a lid on it. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking the onions until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. (If the onions begin to stick to the pan too much, add a splash of water and scrape up any bits that are sticking.) Deglaze the pan with beef consommé and let it reduce for 1-2 minutes.
While the onions are cooking, prepare the coffin bread: Cut the entire top off of the loaf of the bread and save for later use. With a paring knife, cut the insides out of the loaf of bread, leaving a quarter-inch border on each side. Cut the bread insides into cubes, place them on a sheet tray and toast in the oven until golden.
In a large bowl, mix the caramelized onions with sour cream. Season, to taste. Pour all of the dip into hollowed out coffin bread.
For the roasted potatoes: Toss the potatoes with a drizzle of EVOO and some salt and pepper. Lay onto a sheet tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until soft.
For the pumpernickel tombstones: Cut half of the pumpernickel bread into tombstones with a tombstone cookie cutter. Place the cut-outs onto a sheet tray and drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper. Bake until toasted.
For the crispy kale: Raise the oven temperature to 400ºF.
Dress the kale lightly with a drizzle of EVOO and season with salt, pepper and a hint of nutmeg. Place the kale on a cooling rack placed on top of a sheet tray and transfer to the oven. Bake until both are crispy, 10-12 minutes.
For the pumpernickel dirt: Place the other half of the pumpernickel bread loaf into a food processor. Pulse until the bread starts to form coarse crumbs.
To serve, place the toasted bread cubes onto a festive tray. Scatter the pumpernickel dirt all over the tray and around the bread, making a few mounds. Place the roasted potatoes around the coffin to resemble rocks. Stack the kale high against the side of the bread to look like foliage and make piles of tombstone bread toasts around the tray.
