Roasted Garlic Paradise

On a recent trip to Florida, the hubby and I had dinner at an Italian restaurant in downtown Disney.  While we were looking over the menu, they brought out this warm, crusty bread and a bulb of roasted garlic, floating in a pool of olive oil.  We dug the cloves out with the knives and spread it on the bread.  It melted, like butter, on our tongues!  I decided I needed to make it.  This is my version.  It's so simple and it doesn't take much time, but the payoff in flavor... WHEW!

Here's what you'll need:
1-2 whole bulbs of garlic, depending on size and amount of people  (I used 2 for 3 of us)
olive oil
salt and pepper
bread, for serving

Heat oven to 400.

Use a sharp knife to cut the tops off the garlic bulbs, exposing the cloves.
Put the garlic on a large sheet of aluminum foil.  Drizzle with olive oil (about 1 TBSP each).
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Fold the foil closed, totally encasing the garlic.  Place the packet on a baking sheet.   Bake 30-45 minutes, until very soft.  The longer it cooks, the sweeter it gets. Open foil, and let set 5 minutes or so, til cool enough to handle.

Pour additional olive oil (about 1/2 cup) into a shallow bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

When the garlic cooled slightly, turn the bulb upside-down over the bowl of oil and squeeze lightly, forcing the cloves out into the oil.

To serve, use a spoon to spread a few cloves and some oil onto a slice of bread.  It also makes a great "sauce" for pasta.

Enjoy!