Tag: Panera

Soup Season in Full Swing

Sadie3 Comments

I vividly remember the first time I had French Onion Soup.  I was 11 or 12 years old and I was at my best friend’s brother’s Bar Mitzvah.  The party after the ceremony was at The Cranbury Inn, probably the only legitimate sit down restaurant in our town.  We were served the soup in the tradition soup crocks coated with melted cheese.  I had never seen such a thing.  I was not much for soup when I was younger, so this concept was foreign to me.

I immediately asked my best friend what it was, and she gave me a “duh” look, and said “it’s French Onion Soup.”  I was definitely taken by the spectacle of the cheese melted over the bread on top.  Forget the onions and the broth, bread and cheese is good stuff!

It took me a few years to learn to appreciate the soup in it’s entirety aside from the traditional garnish.  Now it’s a tempting option every time I see it on a menu.  It has certainly become a comfort food for me, and a half decent French Onion Soup can make for a great day.

I was at Panera recently, having my typical debate between options and I then I saw French Onion Soup on the soup list.  I pulled an audible at the register and ordered the soup.  Even though it was just Panera soup, it really hit the spot and inspired me to give it a try at home.

French Onion Soup

Recipe from Tyler Florence 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
  • 4 onions, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle
  • 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 quarts beef broth
  • 1 baguette, sliced
  • 1/2 pound grated Gruyere (plus I added some parmesan)

Method

  1. Heat up soup pot on medium heat on the stove and melt the stick of butter.
  2. Once the butter is melted, throw in the onions, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper.  Cook the onions about 25 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized.
  3. Add wine, bring to a boil and cook until liquid has mostly dissolved.  About 5 minutes.
  4. Pull out the thyme and bay leaves and add flour to pot.  Stir and cook for about 10 minutes then add beef broth.
  5. Simmer soup for at least 10 minutes before serving.
  6. Slice and toast baguette (I made croutons) and serve soup topped with bread and cheese on top in the traditional fashion.

Green Machine

Sadie2 Comments

This Summer I’m surviving largely on salads.  I have extreemly limited cooking capabilities in my kitchen, not even a microwave, combined with zero cooking energy when I get home from work and the gym.  I usually get home around 8pm, so I need something ready to go because I’m not waiting around for a delivery, or trying to prepare anything.  I’m not a fast food burger kind of gal, so my go-to options are usually a pre-made salad, salad bar, or soup from the prepared foods section of a grocery store; or Panera.  Both are quick, easy, delicious, and affordable.

Confession: I suck at buffets.  For three reasons.  1. Sometimes I take the phrase “all you can eat” too seriously.  2. I don’t pick a theme or flavor profile, and while I love a good garbage salad, I manage to pick opposing ingredients.   I usually start in one direction, like greens/craisons/pecans/blue cheese/apples, then I see salsa and I want to turn around and make a southwestern salad so I just add it to the pile.  I have the same problem at fro yo places.  3. I need to remind myself to add nutritional value with a variety of veggies and protein.  Just cheese, nuts, and lettuce does not a healthy salad make.

To trouble shoot my problems, I do my best to take a couple warmup laps around the salad bar to decide the optimal combination based on the ingredients available (this tip is in every healthy eating publication ever).  And I also try to pile on the lettuce so it will fill me up and add negligible calories, making the “all you can eat” a little safer for me.

This summer I also have a decent salad bar at work, which I treat myself to once or twice a week (otherwise I try to bring my lunch).  I feel kind of nerdy though because I love it, and a lot of my co-workers see the salad bar as the boring option for lunch.

My Favorites:

Salad Bar: Whole Foods ( I typically go with, romaine, fresh spinach, pecans, blue cheese, craisons, squash, cucumbers, black beans, red onions, maybe bell peppers, and some oil & vinegar)

Fast Casual Salad: Thai Chopped Chicken Salad at Panera

btw, have you seen the new to-go containers?

Salad ingredients I love: edemame, craisons, salsa, red onions

Salad ingredients I hate: olives, avacado, bacon, egg

Fave Dressing: oil and vinegar or a lite raspberry vinagrette

Least Fave Dressing: french

At the moment I’m favoring the cheese/nut/fruit type of salad, but I’m also a sucker for a good greek or southwestern salad.

What kind of salad are you loving right now?