asiago cheese bread

If I were offered one wish, I would wish for Trader Joe's Asiago Cheese Bread to be magically calorie-free. There is no getting sick of this bread. Since we met in the fall of 2009, what feels like so long ago, I have never had a bite that I didn't wish would last forever. As soon as you pick it up, the rich aroma of cheese hugs you and you find yourself dropping it into your basket against your more health-conscious conscience. When you get home, you find that the bread is has a delightful slight crispiness to the outside, and the inside is soft and interlaced with chunks of asiago. For the first months we were together, I made sandwiches filled with smoked salmon and whole basil leaves. Then, I expanded it into breakfast where I enjoyed it with a fried egg. From there, I would frequently top it with bruschetta, where the combination with a glass of my favorite merlot became the highlight of many wintery days. It can also be used in bread salads (chopped into crouton-sized pieces, fried in olive oil, and tossed with halved grape tomatoes, chopped basil, and balsamic vinegar) and for a wide variety of crostinis and sandwiches.

This morning, I made crispy pork crostinis from the bread. The recipe is simple, and any number of roasted meats can be substituted for the pork. After I write this post, I will probably go make some more of these. Hope you enjoy!

4 Servings
1. Slice 8 1 cm slices of Trader Joe's Asiago Cheese Batard and toast.
2. Mince 1 cup of roast pork and saute in 2 tbsp peanut oil until crisp.
3. Crack 2 eggs into the pork. Fold into the pork as it cooks.
4. Coursely chop 8 broad leaves of basil.
5. Assemble the crispy pork and egg onto the bread and top with basil!