Do you ever lay in bed and daydream about food?
I do – more than I should. Before I drift off to sleep and almost immediately when I wake up, I have visions of all things food. It’s telling, isn’t it. I’m food obsessed. There’s no viable explanation. I was never hungry as a child. I’m not diet obsessed. I’m not addicted to any one particular food. Simply, I love everything related to feeding me and anyone near me. Which is how I landed on tartines.
I woke up thinking about how different countries put their own spin on similar dishes. Case in point, today’s recipe. In North America, we call tartines open-faced sandwiches. In Italy, they’re called crostini or even pizza, for that matter. In France, these lovely, incredibly versatile ‘fork and knife’ sandwiches are called tartines. Sometimes for dinner, I’ll take a whole baguette, split it in half, top it with whatever combination of toppings my fridge coughs up, serve it with a salad and Ralph and I are as happy as clams. Don’t ask – I have no idea why clams are happy…
Pickled Beet, Chevre and Orange Tartines
Serves 2
½ best quality French baguette
4 small pickled beets, diced small
¼ cup creamy chevre, crumbled
Small handful of greens, thinly sliced – I used miniature romaine
Zest of 1 orange
Wild flower honey, to drizzle
THE STEPS:
- Slice the baguette into 4 equal horizontal pieces
- Toast or broil the baguette slices on both sides
- Divide diced beets, greens and chevre between the baguette slices
- Sprinkle with orange zest
- Drizzle with honey, to taste
- Serve immediately
THE LOVE: Once you start making tartines, you’ll be hooked! They’re quick and the sky’s the limit as to what you can combine to create a delicious and interesting snack. If you don’t have homemade pickled beets in your cupboard, try to find some at your local farmer’s market…
click here for the printable recipe
one year ago: cardamom spiced layer cake with candied lemon peel
two years ago: Sunday morning blueberry muffins
Thanks for reading.
