In case of a natural bread disaster, it's always good to have a place like Bread & Cie nearby. It's also a sumptuous place for lunch.

Famished from a day of hiking, merrymaking, and general carousing last weekend, we happily sank into some chairs around lunchtime, grabbed some delicious coffee, and refueled with a couple of sandwiches and a handful of pastries. My husband chomped through a California Mufeletta that was piled with genoa salami, roasted red peppers, provolone cheese, red onion, tomato, fresh basil, olive tapenade, dripping with Tuscan olive oil and balsamic vinegar and served on a house-baked Ciabatta. I ordered a Black Forest ham and swiss cheese sandwich with springy, fresh baby lettuces and slathered with pineapple salsa on their seedless rye bread.

Both sandwiches were quite tasty, but my husband was a little dismayed that they were so obviously chilled. I mean, I completely understand why a busy place like Bread & Cie needs to make sandwiches in bulk and keep them refrigerated until ordered, but next time I think we'll order and drive home before we chomp, thus getting the sandwiches to room temperature and improving their flavors. The eclair we ordered for dessert was roll-your-eyes-back-and-give-up-eating-anything-else-like-ever delicious.

In addition to their substantial list of sandwiches and large variety of tempting pastries, Bread & Cie's cafe also offers soups, salads, Focaccia pizza, cheese plates, and breakfast specials. I'm particularly interested in their "Picnic Lunch Box," which includes a specialty sandwich of your choice, Bread & Cie's seasoned bread chips, and a slice of lemon cake served in a carry-out picnic box. Sounds like a perfect addition to a coastal hike in Torrey Pines.

Fully digested, we headed out but not before grabbing a loaf of their just-baked bread. It was hard to decide between the bread of the day -- goat cheese and garlic -- or one of their other mouth-moistening flavors. Should it be Fig and Anise? What about a Lemon Sage Ciabatta? Oh, maybe Walnut Raisin for hearty breakfasts! No, it had better be Caramelized Onion. It's a sound choice.

Having blinked and missed the Fava bean season, I needed to do something to alleviate my craving for the garlicky-lemon purée -- especially since we now had this wonderful bread that was just crying out to be slathered with something. I decided to make my Faux Fava Bean Purée where instead of Fava beans, I would use a bag of frozen (shelled) edamame. Mind you, I hadn't made this thing yet, I had only dreamed about it. I mean, why not? They're both bean type things, they're both green, and they're both tasty. How could they not be improved by garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice? Plus, with the edamame you get all that healthy soy stuff.

Faux Fava Bean Purée

Approximate Preparation Time: 35 minutes

1 bag frozen shelled edamame
4 minced cloves garlic
3 large pinches Kosher salt, or to taste
2 large pinches freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup grated Fiore Sardo (a nice, salty aged sheep's cheese from Sardinia)
Juice from 2 lemons
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Throw out the NOXIOUS SMOKED bread.

2. Prepare the frozen shelled edamame according to the bag's instructions and let cool.

3. Pour the cooked, cooled edamame into a food processor and pulse four or five times, each pulse lasting three seconds, until coarsely chopped. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, cheese, and lemon juice. Pulse until fully blended.

4. Pour the olive oil in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube until the purée is your desired consistency. I've found that edamame is a bit drier than Fava beans and might require more olive oil than less. It's a personal preference but more olive oil gives it a silkier texture and keeps it from drying out in the fridge or on the table.

5. Taste and adjust the seasonings. If the flavors seem dull or lackluster, add a bit more salt or lemon juice, pulse to fully blend, and taste again.

6. Slather over thick slices of bread and drizzle with a touch more olive oil before serving.

Enjoy.

Bread & Cie Bakery and Cafe
350 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103

619.683.9322

Monday-Friday 7 AM-7 PM
Saturday 7 AM - 6 PM
Sunday 8 AM-6 PM