You Pick Two Review: Asiago Roast Beef Sandwich and Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Pick Number One: Asiago Roast Beef Sandwich

Panera's roast beef sandwich benefits from a tasty bread and a kicky sauce, but suffers from a slightly boring piece of smoked cheddar plopped on like an afterthought.

Here is a recipe for this sandwich and the dressing, as found in the Panera Bread Cookbook, available here. I recommend this book to anyone interested in unusual, bread-based recipes, including some delicious bread puddings.*

Sandwich Recipe (slightly edited by the Sophisticate)

2 tablespoons Horseradish Sauce (see below)
2 slices Three-Cheese Bread (from Panera)
1 leaf romaine lettuce
3-4 slices vine-ripened tomato, 1/4 inch thick
3-4 slices red onion, 1/4 inch thick
4 ounces roast beef, sliced wafer-thin
2 slices smoked Cheddar cheese

[The cookbook includes instructions on how to assemble the sandwich].

Horseradish Sauce Recipe (not edited by the Sophisticate)

Makes 2 cups

1/2 cup prepared horseradish sauce
1 coup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon or whole-grain mustard

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl with wire whisk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

The nutritional information for the asiago roast beef sandwich, as found on the Panera website, follows. Click on the image to enlarge it.











Pick Number Two: Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I couldn't stop eating this soup. It may be the best soup I've ever tasted. The Panera cookbook does not include a recipe, but this recipe I found through allrecipes.com is similar:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/3 cups wild rice
• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 7 cups water
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 3/4 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the wild rice according to package directions, but remove from heat about 15 minutes before it's done. Drain the excess liquid, and set aside.
2. In a stock pot over high heat, combine the chicken and the water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and tender. Remove chicken from the pot, and allow it to cool. Strain the broth from the pot, and reserve for later. When chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones, cut into bite size pieces, and reserve. Discard the fat and the bones.
3. In the same stock pot over medium heat, saute the celery and onion in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cover. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is tender. Return the broth to the stock pot, and add the partially cooked wild rice. Stir in the bouillon, white pepper and salt; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk, and continue cooking until mixture is bubbly and thick. Add some of the broth mixture to the milk mixture, continuing to stir, then stir all of the milk mixture into the broth mixture.
5. Mix in the reserved chicken meat and the white wine. Allow this to heat through for about 15 minutes.

The nutritional information for the cream of chicken and wild rice soup, as found on the Panera website, follows. Click on the image to enlarge it.














*The book was a Christmas present from my mother. It was not given to me as compensation from Panera or any of its affiliates.