A Savory Sampler @ Panera Bread September 9, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Vegetarian Recipes.comments closed
A few days ago, we received an invite to a series of cooking demonstrations at Panera Bread.
The price was right . . . FREE!
We attended the first yesterday, not knowing what to expect . . . Panera did not disappoint. Elise prepared three “bread and spread” recipes while her helpers handed out generous samples to the audience:
Wikipedia ~ Green Eggs and Ham (Fair Use)
(1) Avocado and Goat Cheese on French Baguette Crostini
BFF and I are not fans of avocados or guacamole.
We decided to be brave, like the Grouch in Green Eggs and Ham.
We took a tentative bite.
Hmm . . .
I would not eat it in a box.
I would not eat it with a fox.
The goat cheese, garlic, and olive oil masked the taste of the avocados . . . making the spread a bit easier for us to swallow.
(2) Bagel Chips with Cucumber Yogurt Dip
Like Greek tzatziki, this light refreshing spread of cucumbers, yogurt, sour cream, garlic and dill paired well with Panera’s crisp bagel chips, but was a tad too salty for our tastes.
Of course, if they’d been serving Margaritas or Sangria with the demo, that salt would have come in handy.
(3) Asiago Bread Chips with Pico de Gallo
Definitely the winner . . . even if Pico de Gallo does translate as Beak of the Rooster!
Served on a slice of toasted Asiago Cheese Bread, this sharp salsa of tomato, jalapeno, garlic, onion, cilantro, and cumin grabbed the attention of our tastebuds.
For Panera Recipes . . . click HERE.
Before leaving the tasting arena, we received generous portions of Pico de Gallo and Cucumber Dip to take home . . . causing us to head straight to the bakery to buy bagels and baguettes (hot~out~of~the~oven!) to go.
Yup . . . there’s a method to their marketing.
Demos still to come ~ Pizza Pizzazz and Bread Basics. Yum!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Spirit Lights The Way 