Garlic Thyme and Asiago Cheese Bread
IF ONLY GARLIC BREAD & A GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH HAD A BABY
Ah the joy of parenthood. There are a lot of Saturday mornings that we spend our time at Panera Bread. It’s not because we’re creatures of habit — nor chain restaurant lovers 🙂 It’s simply because we take our son Nate to his high school football practice, which usually takes a little over 2 hours. Did I tell you that we live 45 minutes away from his school? Yep. Rather than go home just in time for pick up, we park ourselves at the school’s nearby Panera. We get some pastries, have some hazelnut coffee, and order their Asiago cheese bread — to go.
I love that bread! I snack on it. Make sandwiches with it. Toast it and slather some raspberry jam on it for a sweet and savory combination. So this past weekend I was sitting down, enjoying my coffee and chocolate croissant, working on my laptop, . . . and then it hit me. I should make some yummy garlic bread, with some Asiago cheese incorporated into it! So it can be a garlic bread / meet grilled cheese sandwich kind of thing. Boom!
Using a French baguette to be the home for these 2 leading ingredients, and adding fresh thyme to liven it up, this bread is killer! This is a super easy, vegetarian game snack. It’s also a delicious and pretty accompaniment to your dinner meal. AND . . . you know what guys — if you have some cold cut deli meat such as turkey or chicken breast — stick some on it. It sure kicks tail and it makes an utterly mouthwatering lunch!
The pungent garlic has a slightly heated taste — married with the aromatic fresh thyme, mixed with creamy butter, and topped off with a nutty & slightly sweet grated Asiago cheese . . . resulting in a super celestial garlic bread!
- 1 artisan French baguette
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temprature
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed with garlic press (oh, com'on … just use it, if you have one ;)
- 18-24 sprigs thyme leaves
- fleur de sel and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 125-150 gram asiago cheese, grated
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Make 2" slits across the French baguette, do not cut through the bread.
- In a small mixing bowl, add butter, garlic, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.
- Generously spread the garlic thyme butter on each slit, reserve about 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Then, jam a good pinch of grated cheese :) You should have some left over.
- Slather the reserved butter mixture on top of the baguette and top with the some left over cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Mmmm, you know my husband and I would love this. How about with a glass of red wine and some pasta?!! A FAV!