Ingredients for the crust:
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
30 thin slices of French bread
Preparation:
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Brush a 10-inch pie plate with the butter mixture, then line the bottom and sides of a pie plate with bread, overlapping about an inch. Brush the bread with the remaining butter mixture and bake in preheated 400-degree oven for five minutes or until lightly browned.
Ingredients for the sauce:
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. salt (or less)
1/4 tsp. white pepper
dash ground nutmeg
2-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Preparation:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook sauce, stirring constantly until thickened. Add Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir a little of the sauce into the eggs. Stir the egg mixture into the remaining sauce and set aside.
Ingredients for filling:
8 oz. fresh linguine, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup chicken breast, cooked and diced
1/3 cup sliced green onions or 2 Tbs. dried chives
2 Tbs. minced fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil leaves, crushed
2 plum tomatoes, cut lengthwise into eighths
Preparation:
Combine cooked linguine, 1-1/4 cups of the Swiss cheese, chicken, onions and basil in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Pour into the crust. Sprinkle with remaining Swiss cheese. Arrange tomatoes on top of the casserole, and bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes or until warm. Let stand for five minutes.
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