[clap, clap, clap]

Deep in the heart of Texas!

I hadn’t originally planned on participating in this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging (hosted by fellow newlywed Anna at Morsels and Musings) until I went to the grocery store. There they were – a big ol’ bundle of sage leaves staring back at me from the herb rack. MMmmm. Sage.

My only real exposure to sage was the dressing that my dad makes at the holidays. With lots (and lots) of dried sage Honestly, I haven’t always been a fan – too much of the dried stuff and my poor little esophagus is screaming for a tropical-flavored Rolaid. MMmmm. Tropical-flavored Rolaids.

Even though sage and I haven’t always gotten along, when I planted my first herb garden last spring, I had to have a couple of sage plants. I thought it was the coolest thing to walk out to my little starter herb garden last summer, clip a few leaves from my basil and sage plants, and come back in and make dinner.

The number one use for sage in our house thus far has been Prosciutto Bruschetta with Browned Sage Butter. Crispy, salty, and chock-full of carbs, the bruschetta is one of our favorite things to serve alongside a good sized bowl of pasta and meat sauce. It’s also a big hit on poker night when served as crostini.

Prosciutto Bruschetta with Browned Sage Butter
3 Tbsp butter, unsalted
3 slices prosciutto
4-inch piece of Italian or French loaf, sliced horizontally
4 large sage leaves
Parmigiano-reggiano, shaved

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over low-medium heat. Chiffonade the sage leaves (reserve a couple of pinches for garnish) and add to the butter, stirring occasionally. Once the butter begins to turn brown keep an eye on it – it goes from golden, to dark brown (the ideal result) to smoky and scorched very quickly. Remove the pan from the stove when you get a nice dark brown.

Turn on the broiler. Arrange 1 1/2 slices of prosciutto on each slice of bread. Drizzle with the browned sage butter and place the bread onto a baking sheet and into the oven for about 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the reserved sage leaves and the shaved parmigiano-reggiano.

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