Verrines & day-old bread

Going to the market always seems to be an adventure... I really wish I knew more French. Sometimes, I rely on the pictures on the packages, and other times, I just guess and cross my fingers and hope that I'm buying what I think I'm buying.

I had never heard of a verrine until I came to Paris. A verrine is an appetizer or a dessert that is made by layering the components of the dish in a glass. It makes for a pretty presentation and can be made out of virtually anything. Today, I concocted my first verrine; it was made of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and polenta with a bit of seasoning and sprinkled with some shredded cheese.

I had half of a baguette leftover from yesterday's lunch, and I couldn't let it got to waste so I thought of some ideas of what I could make with it today. It turns out that day-old bread is a great thing to have on hand! I made some good ol' fashioned bread pudding for my mid-afternoon snack and then used some of the breadcrumbs for my stuffed baked tomato (atop cucumber and homemade hummus).