Tartine Tuesday: Honey Drizzled Beets with Lemon-Tarragon Goat Cheese Tartines

I never thought I would like beets. Even just recently I made a comment to Quentin about how they aren't my favorite thing... and how I never really liked them. But this year I'm attempting to give a second chance all those things I loathed as a food-ignorant adolescent.

Turns out (unsurprisingly) that there are a lot of things I didn't like back then that I love now... red wine, olives, black pepper (freshly cracked of course). Don't even get me started on cheese. I actually refused to eat cheese unless it was bright yellow, square shaped, and wrapped in individual clear plastic sheets. I'm so glad I grew out of that phase.

I gave beets a second shot. Hell, I was basically dreaming of this recipe in my sleep last night.

I roasted the bloody beauty and paired it with tangy goat cheese, lemon zest, and my new favorite herb; tarragon. The tart, fresh goats cheese balances beautifully with the earthy sweetness of the beets. The lemon zest brightens up all the flavors and the tarragon adds a woodsy licorice note that makes my knees weak. Damn, I love tarragon. A little sweet drizzle of honey at the end took it right over the top.

These tartines are bloody delicious.

Honey Drizzled Beets with Lemon-Tarragon Goat Cheese Tartines

6 slices of bread, toasted

1 medium sized beet (uncooked & with the skin on)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pinch of large grain sea salt

200 grams fresh goat's cheese

1 sprig of fresh tarragon (or roughly 2 pinches of whole dried tarragon leaves), chopped

zest of 1 small lemon

honey, to taste

freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

To Roast the Beet:

 

Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit (205° Celsius). 

Rub the beet with vegetable oil and sea salt. 

Place in a roasting pan with about an inch of water in the bottom and cover with aluminum foil. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until a knife slides easily into the beet.

Remove from the oven and let cool before peeling. Once cooled, peel and slice into a medium dice or bite-sized pieces.

To Make the Lemon-Tarragon Goat Cheese Spread:

In a bowl, mix together the goat cheese, tarragon, and lemon zest until combined. Add freshly cracked pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator until the beet is cooled and prepped.

Spread goat cheese mixture on toasts and top with the roasted beet. Drizzle honey on top. Serves 2.

Tartine Tuesday: Blood Orange and Green Olive Tapenade Tartines

I see you, spring... you're right there, around the corner. Now if you would just come out and play...

I can't remember when I last saw the sun. Thankfully, yesterday changed all that. It was the most beautiful day I'd seen for some months now, and it came just in time. I was starting to go a little nuts... as Quentin will attest... with cabin fever ever so annoyingly turning my brain into mush. Without a cloud in the sky, and a cheerful 50-something degrees (Fahrenheit), I giddily jumped around the apartment pulling on my jeans as fast as I could and shuffling through the top shelf of my closet to try and find my long lost sunglasses. 

I hopped on the Metro and made my way to Le Jardin des Tuileries. It's usually crowded with tourists, especially on a clear and sunny day, but if you know where to look, you can find a perfectly calm, sunny spot to call your own.

Flashbacks to Landis Green in the summer time with coleslaw dogs and splashing around in Legacy Fountain came rushing back as I soaked up the sun.

It felt so good. I sat there all afternoon, doing absolutely nothing... and it was completely worth it. It's funny how much happier you feel after a day of simply sitting in the sun. Once the sun started to dip behind the Parisian skyline, I did a little shopping (but of course) and made my way back home.

Continuing to doctor myself out of this winter funk, I concocted an ever so bright and flavorful tartine that seriously tastes like summer. Blood oranges, a smaller, sweeter variety of the orange are currently in season, and pairing their sunniness with briny green olive tapenade was just the kick I needed to brighten up my Tuesday.

 

Blood Orange and Green Olive Tapenade Tartines

4 blood oranges

1 cup pitted green olives

1 tablespoon drained capers

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6-8 large crackers, such as Wasa Whole Grain Crispbreads

*I did this the hard way, and hand-made the tapenade. To make this a little quicker, you can put the tapenade ingredients into a food processor and blend until you reach the desired consistency.

Cut blood oranges cross-wise in about 1/4 inch slices, and then with a paring knife, trim the peel away from the flesh. You can also peel the oranges first and then cut them crosswise, but I feel the first way gives you more stability and less of a chance to waste the delicious fruit.

Chop together the green olives, garlic, capers, and parsley until very finely minced. Place into a bowl and add lemon juice and olive oil. Stir to combine.

Spread tapenade onto each cracker and top with slices of blood orange. Serves 3-4.

Tartine Tuesday: Smoked Salmon Tartare-tines

This is a quick one, just wanted to plug in my lunch before I got back to the daily grind! Bon app' :)

Smoked Salmon Tartare-tines

4 large multi-grain crackers

2-3 slices of smoked salmon, diced
4 teaspoons red onion, minced
4 teaspoons capers
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons crème fraîche
2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander (if you can freshly grind whole coriander seeds, this is better)

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
fresh dill sprigs, for garnish
salt and pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine the smoked salmon, red onion, capers, olive oil, and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Season with freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Let sit for about 5 minutes to let the flavors meld together.

Combine the sour cream, dill, ground coriander, and lemon zest in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Salt to taste.

Top each cracker with smoked salmon tartare and top with a dollop of the crème fraîche mixture. Top with a few fresh sprigs of dill. Serves 2-4.

Tartine Tuesday: Pan Seared Mackerel & Romesco Tartines

I'm doing pretty well so far with my 2011 resolutions. I woke up this morning and knocked out my yoga routine, and am weening myself off of soda and pasta with sweet, crunchy, fresh-from-the-market carrots.

I'm more than 3/4 of the way through David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris, which literally makes me laugh out loud, because I swear I'm walking in his footsteps. Book 1 of (at least) 5 almost done!

Continuing on my resolution train, I thought long and hard about today's tartines. My dad has been tossing the idea of doing a "red pepper" related tartine almost every time I talk with him, so these tartines kill a few birds (and resolutions) with one stone.

For my resolution to eat more sustainably, I'm using Spanish mackerel in today's tartine. It is a fish which matures quickly and produces high numbers of offspring, which makes it one of the best choices when it comes to ocean-friendly eating. As an added bonus, it's also fairly inexpensive (about 9 Euros/kilo... about 5 Dollars/pound).

This tartine also test my skills at cooking outside of my comfort zone. Since I'm now a lot closer (literally) to different cuisines, I figured I would start cooking a few things I've never cooked before. Giving a nod to my Dad's request to make a red pepper tartine, I paired the mackerel with romesco, a sauce originating from Catalonia, Spain, which consists of sweet roasted red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and a few other goodies.

Pan Seared Mackerel & Romesco Tartines

12 slices of rustic bread or sourdough, toasted

8 mackerel fillets, skin-on and deboned

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Cut each mackerel fillet into two pieces, removing the reddish/brown blood line down the center of the fillet (where the backbone lies) as this part of the fish can be very strong flavored. Cut the fillets into small 1 inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. 

Heat oil in a medium sized non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Carefully add the pieces of mackerel, skin-side down and press gently on the fish with the backside of a spatula, which ensures a crispy skin. After about 2 minutes, flip the pieces of fish and cook for another 2 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate once cooked.

Romesco Sauce:

6 roma or plum tomatoes, core removed and quartered

1 red bell pepper, quartered

12 cloves of garlic

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1-2 slices of bread (depending on the size of your bread)

1/2 cup toasted whole almonds

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

salt, to taste

Preheat an oven to 425° Fahrenheit (220° Celsius). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic cloves onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the vegetables with some of the olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in the preheated oven until the garlic has turned golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

While the vegetables are cooling, bake the bread slice on one of the oven racks until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.

Add the vegetables and any juices from the pan into a food processor or blender. Break the bread into pieces, and add to the food processor along with the toasted almonds, vinegar, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Puree until finely ground, then drizzle in the remaining olive oil with the machine running. Salt to taste. 

 

Spread romesco sauce over each slice of toasted bread and top with a few pieces of mackerel. Serves 4-6.

Tartine Tuesday: Foie Gras and Fleur de Sel Tartines

This was my 2nd Christmas in a row that I've celebrated in France. The first time, I had the unfortunate luck of coming down with the flu, and was bedridden most of the week of Christmas. I even slept right through Christmas dinner. That being said, this year was much much better. 

Christmas Eve, as is the usual, is spent at Quentin's parent's home. They celebrate with a big family dinner the night before Christmas and open the gifts that night. Who doesn't love opening presents early?

Christmas Eve dinner is a little different here than it is in the States. Back home I imagine a perfectly spiral-cut honey glazed ham with buttery mashed potatoes and my Dad's pumpkin pie. In the Isackson home, we started with the aperitif; bowls full of mini boudin noir and boudin blanc, green olives(my favorite), and salty pistachios which were all washed down with a few glasses of foamy eggnog (a little American tradition was inserted here and there). 

Dinner started with a typically French Christmas specialty: Foie Gras. Foie gras is the liver of a fattened goose or duck. The way foie gras is made is not the most ethical. I won't go into detail, but one basically force-feeds the animal to make it delectably plump. It is however, absolutely delicious. It has that devilishly creamy and you know it's not good for you taste... like butter, only meatier. So we started with toasted bread, topped with slices of foie gras, and quickly moved on to the main dish... Le Chapon de Cyrano de Bergerac: capon or castrated rooster stuffed with (more) foie gras and chestnuts. Delicious. Following that was of course lots of cheese and then 3 different desserts... I hadn't been full like that since I was in the States. My stomach hurt so good.

So for my last Tartine Tuesday of 2010 I give you something simple and straight from France...

Foie Gras and Fleur de Sel Tartines

8 slices of foie gras

8 slices of baguette or toast

fleur de sel

Toast slices of baguette until brown and crispy. Top with the slices of foie gras and sprinkle fleur de sel on top. Serves 2.

Tartine Tuesday: Éric Kayser's Pain Aux Noix, Magret Fumé et Orange Tartines

Due to watching From Paris with Love (which was pretty bad ass) at 3am this morning... I woke up with today with little sunlight left in the day (whoops... hehe). 

So this Tartine Tuesday, which I ate for dinner, is a quick and easy one. 

I'm not actually going to post the recipe here (although it's quite simple, and obvious), because one, it's not my recipe, and two, I'd rather you go out and buy the book. I'm using a recipe from Éric Kayser's, Tartinez Gourmand. Thinly sliced magret fumé, or smoked duck, is laid over toasted and buttered pain aux noix (nut bread) and topped with juicy orange segments and freshly cracked black pepper. Simple and delicious.

If you've never segmented citrus before, here's a quick video from Rouxbe, the Online Video Cooking School to show you how:

Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes

Note: I am a Rouxbe Cooking School affiliate partner. As part of their affiliate program, I have the power to give you a free, full-access, no-videos-barred, 14-day pass to their site. All you have to do is go to the Rouxbe Online Cooking School and redeem the 14-day Gift Membership. After the trial, you can join for as little as $15 per month; however, there is no obligation. This site is unlike any other cooking site I've seen. It gives you clear, step-by-step demonstrations as you would receive in a cooking class. I've already learned so much, and hope to improve my cooking skills via Rouxbe. It's awesome! Check it out!

It's a great way to get the most out of your oranges and grapefruits, and once you get the hang of it, segmenting citrus can be kind of fun... or maybe it's just me. I always love when my mom makes a huge bowl of segmented citrus. The only problem is that it never lasts very long. I can eat an entire bowl in one sitting. Thankfully, it's not nearly as bad as eating an entire bowl of potato chips... or fried chicken. Not that I've ever done that... ;)

Anyways, back to the tartine... 

The orange really helps to balance the richness of the magret, and the nuttiness of the bread compliments the smokiness of the magret nicely. Finding magret fumé might be a little difficult for some of you back in the States, but some of the fancier grocery stores, like Whole Foods or specialty food shops might be a good place to look. If you can't find it, bacon might be a good substitute... just make sure to cook the bacon first. 

Bon Apétit!

Tartine Tuesday: Egg Salad Tartines

My Dad is here visiting for the next few weeks, and he graciously lugged a suitcase full of all of the things from my "Bring from the USA" list.

Here are some of the things that were on that list:

Theraflu

Mascara

Winter Clothes

Stuff from Amazon.com

Yellow Mustard

With the start of the winter flu season, I asked for a hefty supply of my favorite go-to cold remedy... Theraflu (and I've already used one this week)... thanks Mom for sending 3 boxes! Mascara is inconceivably expensive here at around $16-20 for even the cheapest brands, so I asked for 2. Of course, I needed all my winter coats, stockings, and sweaters that wouldn't fit in my suitcases this past July. There were a few goodies I bought for myself from Amazon.com... a sharpening stone for my knives, yoga mat, knife guards, etc. And lastly, and somewhat most importantly, yellow mustard.

I feel bad being one of those people who needs something, especially food related, from home. I'm living in France, I should drink their wine, eat their cheese, and use their mustard. I can drink their wine, and definitely eat their cheese, but when it comes to their mustard, I just can't. One, some of the French mustards will literally kick you into next year. Talk about opening up your sinuses. And two, being the foodie that I am, there are just a few things that I refuse to make unless I have yellow mustard. One, is deviled eggs, and another is egg salad.

I refuse to pay the outrageous price of 5-7 Euros for a teensie weensie little jar of yellow mustard here. I've looked all over at discount grocery stores and random shops trying to find a decently priced jar of yellow mustard, but have been without luck. There are a couple of "American" grocery stores here, Thanksgiving and The Real McCoy, and I'm sure that's where I'll find the cheapest prices, but I figured since my Dad was already on his way here, he could just toss a bottle in his suitcase.

Perfect timing for me, because now I can make these:

Egg Salad Tartines

6 slices of sprouted wheat bread, toasted

3 large eggs

1/2 of a small red onion, minced

1 small bunch of chives, chopped

2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1-2 tablespoon mustard

salt and pepper, to taste

To hard-boil the eggs, place the eggs in a pot and fill with cold water until the eggs are just completely covered. Place over medium high heat. Once the water starts to boil, remove from the heat, cover and set a timer for 13 minutes. Once the 13 minutes are up, pour the hot water out of the pot and fill with cold water to stop the eggs from cooking. Once the eggs are cooled you can store them in the fridge until you need them. If you need to, you can do this a day or two in advance.

Peel and roughly chop the hard boiled eggs. Place into a bowl with the mayonnaise, mustard, and a few pinches of the chopped chives. Mix gently to combine (taste as you go, you may like your egg salad a little more mustard-y or a little more mayo-y). Salt and pepper to taste. 

Place egg salad on top of the toasted slices of sprouted wheat bread and top with minced red onion and chopped chives. Serves 2.

Tartine Tuesday: Serrano Ham, Arugula, and Butter Tartines

I am finally living in Paris! I spent the last week moving my stuff from the Paris suburbs of Bougival to our apartment in the 13eme (13th arrondissement), and all of my suitcases are finally empty. Such a great feeling. I can finally really start to explore this city!

My favorite thing about exploring Paris (besides finding good food, of course) is finding all the little parks that are strewn about the city. There is a park for every personality. There are the super touristy parks that are perfect for people watching, such as le Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Trocadero... Tiny garden hideaways tucked between the buildings, where you can steal a quick romantic moment... There is even le Parc des Buttes Chaumont, complete with it's own waterfall and an amazing view of the city.

One of my favorite parks at the moment is le Jardin du Luxembourg. There is something magical about this park. I recently went early one Wednesday morning to relax and soak in the atmosphere.

On a warm, sunny day, le Jardin du Luxembourg is usually bustling with tourists and children playing in the fountain with les petits bateaux. But that day, there was a slight gloom over Paris, which lent an almost eerie silence to the park. As I walked through the rows of perfectly lined trees, I passed a group of older men and women doing Tai-Chi. Their slow, fluid movements mimicked the wind moving through the trees, and the branches seemed to join them in their routine. The murmur of children's voices could be heard in the distance as they practiced their tennis lessons. Empty chairs surrounding the fountain were positioned as though invisible bodies were in deep conversation. It was a completely different park than when I last was here.

I sat myself underneath a tree (just in case it started to rain), with a view overlooking the park. I watched a younger group of adults practicing Tai-Chi to my left. It was obviously a taught class, led by an older and much more experienced French woman. I listened in to see if I could make out what she was saying... good way to practice learning French, I figured.

I was straining to hear what the woman was saying, but kept getting distracted by a rustling in the trees above me. As I looked up I saw tiny birds dangling from the branches, sipping up little droplets of water that had condensed onto the leaves. After about 5 seconds of thinking how cute the little birds were above me, I immediately thought, "Oh SHIT." No literally, SHIT. In less than a second the equation came together in my head, "Birds nibbling on leaves... birds get full... birds need to poop... SHIT." And just as I put that all together... splat. Like freaking magic. Right on my pants. It was like the park (or the birds, I guess) had read my mind. Luckily my pants were dark brown, and after wiping the shit off it was barely noticeable. I literally laughed out loud at the coincidence; the people around me probably thought I was crazy... apparently laughing at thin air. Oh well! 

I washed my hands (and pant leg), and moved out from underneath the trees. The sun was starting to come out now, and after all that mess I (strangely) was starting to get hungry. I went to the grocery store earlier that morning to grab some things for lunch, so I dug into my bag and made myself a little tartine. 

This tartine is all about good quality ingredients. The French don't drown their sandwiches in tons of mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and dressings like we do in the States. They do though, however, use one condiment that, if they so choose, always makes a sandwich better. Butter. For this recipe, I recommend going all out for the ingredients. If you can find high-quality European butter, use it. If you can find arugula that doesn't come pre-washed in a sealed, plastic bag, get it. It's incredible the difference it makes.

I found some 18 month old Seranno ham at La Grande Epicerie, and it was just so beautiful that I had to get some. If you have access to a bakery that sells freshly baked baguettes, go there. I'm not trying to be a food snob. It's just that since there are really only 4 ingredients, why not make them all the best?

So today's super simple Tartine Tuesday is coming to you straight out of the park... minus the birds, of course.

Serrano Ham, Arugula, and Butter Tartines

1 baguette aux cereales (multi-grain baguette)

a handful of arugula

200 grams of thinly sliced serrano ham

salted butter (use high-quality butter or european butter if you can; it really makes a difference)

Spread some butter on a piece of baguette, top with arugula and serrano ham. Serves 2.

Tartine Tuesday: Spanish Chorizo, Egg, and Chive Oil Tartines

I don't know if I'll ever adapt to the coffee and pastry regime that is the French breakfast. I love starting my day with a good stick-to-your-ribs breakfast of eggs and meat. Much like my scrambled eggs with créme fraîche and lardons recipe, I tried to use a little French inspiration to drive this more American-style breakfast. 

The French have an affinity for cured meats, and saucisson and chorizo make frequent appearances to the table. You can adapt this recipe to whatever cured meats you have on hand (I used saucisson rosette the other day), just make sure they are thinly sliced to make for easier noshing. For this recipe, I used a spicy Spanish chorizo, which balanced well with the slight sweetness from the bread and creaminess of the egg. Be sure to use a meat which is cured, and does not need to be cooked, unlike Mexican chorizo. This will make your morning a little bit easier; one less thing to cook, one less pan to clean!

Continuing my LifeGreens programme bien être, I am using an organic sprouted wheat loaf instead of regular bread for these tartines (introduced to me by the LifeGreens CEO himself). Sprouted breads have no added sugar, fat, or preservatives (literally, the ingredients in my loaf are: sprouted wheat, almonds, and orange blossom water), and helps to regulate your blood sugar and digestion.

The loaf I used for this recipe has whole almonds studded throughout, which gives the dense and sometimes "difficult to think of as bread" texture a welcome crunch. Toasting the slices also brings out the nutty flavors of the almonds and eliminates some of the gummy texture. You can find sprouted grain loaves in many different flavors in most specialty health food stores. The texture is quite unlike your everyday bread, and can take some getting used to, but the flavor is delicious and the health benefits are a plus!

P.S. - Best eaten with a knife and fork.

Chorizo, Egg, and Chive Oil Tartines

4 slices of sprouted wheat bread with almonds, toasted

100 grams (1/4lb) of thinly sliced spanish chorizo

4 eggs

1/2 bunch of chives, chopped

olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper, to taste

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the chopped chives and olive oil together just until a paste is formed. After you have a thick paste, whisk in about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to make the paste thin enough to drizzle on top of the tartines.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a medium frying pan (or non-stick pan) over medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook until the white part of the egg has set, about 3-5 minutes.

Place equal amounts of thinly sliced chorizo on each slice of toasted bread. Top with a sunny-side up egg and drizzle the chive oil over the top. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

Tartine Tuesday: Cucumber, Feta, and Mint Croissant Tartines

The first thing I noticed when we landed in Paris this past July was the roughly 30 degree drop in temperature. I'm not complaining, I would much rather spend my days picnicking outdoors in the nice, breezy, 70-ish (Fahrenheit) degree weather than trapped in an air conditioned room all day to keep from having a heat stroke. What I do miss though, is being able to go outside with my shorts, tank top and flip flops without having to bring a "just in case it gets cold" jacket. I miss feeling the heat of the sun nearly toast me to a crisp as I lay out in my bathing suit (yes, being raised in Florida, you actually like that feeling). I miss being able to wear flip flops all year round (which I couldn't even do in Atlanta), and not even knowing where to buy a parka.

I've had my couple of days in Veulettes where I could tan by the pool and only start to shiver when a cloud passed in front of the sun, but it doesn't compare to the summers in the Sunshine State.

As we get nearer to winter, my long sleeved shirts and jeans seem to be making more frequent trips through the laundry. I'll have to have my dad bring me all my "real" winter clothes when he comes to visit next month. To the back of the closet you go, flip flops... *tear*.

Since fall is right around the corner, I wanted to squeeze every last bit out of summer as I could. We got some sun in Veulettes (especially Daphné... poor girl!) while picnicking on the beach, and today being the official "Last Day of Summer" I wanted to make an especially summery tartine. 

I got the inspiration for this tartine from a new book I bought, Tartinez Gourmand with Éric Kayser. I've been buying french cookbooks in an attempt to help improve my French, but unfortunately, that means I can only hold a conversation if it has to do with food... Ha. I'll learn one day. His recipe was a simple croissant tartine, with cucumber, garlic and feta. I kicked mine up a bit with some lemon juice, red onion and mint. The bright, citrus marinated cucumber cuts nicely through the creamy feta and buttery croissant. The red onion gives it a spicy bite, and the mint finishes with a fresh burst that will make you wish that summer would never end.

So here is my ode to the last day of summer... 

Cucumber, Feta, and Mint Croissant Tartines

Adapted from Tartinez Gourmand with Éric Kayser

3 croissants

1/2 of an english cucumber

1 cup of cubed or crumbled feta

1/2 of a red onion, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

juice of half of a lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

3-4 sprigs of fresh mint

salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Slice the cucumber into thin slices, about 1/8 of an inch thick. You can use a mandoline to slice them if you have one; otherwise, you can slice them by hand with a sharp knife, and don't worry if they are not perfect. Place the sliced cucumber into the garlic, lemon juice and olive oil marinade and mix to coat the cucumber.

Slice the croissants in half, as if you were going to make a sandwich out of them. In a toaster oven, or regular oven, toast the croissants cut side up, until they just start to turn brown (should only take 2-4 minutes).

Cut feta into 1/2 inch cubes, if not already cubed. Alternatively, you can use crumbled feta.

Top the toasted croissants with the cucumber slices and sprinkle some minced red onion over the cucumber. Top that with feta, freshly cracked black pepper and a few leaves of fresh mint. Serves 3.

Tartine Tuesday: Cream Cheese, Green Olive, and Cracked Pepper Tartines

I have a (fairly) new obsession in my life...

Olives.

It all started with my best friend, Dannielle's arroz con pollo, which she made for me one night while hanging out at her place. Sure, I've had arroz con pollo before; chicken, rice, garlic, saffron... I knew the basic flavors, but never had I had it with green olives. I caught myself picking and eating the olives right out of the pot. I swear to you, I never liked olives before that very moment. I always found them too salty, too briney. But there, they were the ingredient that made the dish truly sing. Literally, my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it (and D, you know it's true!). 

That one night, that one dish... it opened up a whole new section of my palette that I didn't even know existed. From that moment on I was putting olives on and in everything... deviled eggs, lentil salads, gazpacho... and not just green olives, I love them all. I've come to really love the niçoise olives here in France... something Quentin thought might be "too much olive" for me. I eat them by the handful. 

So for this Tartine Tuesday, I'll give you a painfully simple, easy, snack that always quenches my thirst for olives.

Cream Cheese, Green Olive, and Cracked Pepper Tartines

8 slices of baguette, toasted

cream cheese

green olives, pitted and sliced

freshly cracked black pepper (black pepper is key in this recipe, so make sure you use freshly cracked black pepper)

Spread cream cheese over toasted baguette slices. Crack black pepper over top of the cream cheese. Top with sliced green olives. Serves 2(or one super olive-lover like me).

Tartine Tuesday (FAIL): Roasted Eggplant, Mascarpone, and Crispy Shallot Tartines

I seem to have a recurring love/hate relationship with eggplant. 

 

(By the way, this is a FAILED Tartine Tuesday recipe... before you all get your hopes up. Sorry!)

When I was young, I despised eggplant. I can't remember if it was the texture or the flavor... maybe it was a combination of both, but no matter how it was cooked, I couldn't stand it. You could have covered it in chocolate and I probably still wouldn't have eaten it... okay, maybe I would have. But eggplant parmesan, a classic, delicious favorite? I wouldn't touch it. 

It wasn't until just this past year or so that I started to really appreciate eggplant. It all started with my friend Elliott's baba ghanoush. Similar in texture to hummus, which I love, I figured I would give it a try to see if my dislike for eggplant was just me being a baby (pun intended). It was light, creamy, and citrus-y, not bitter and gummy like the eggplant that I remembered from my childhood. From that point on, I felt I would give eggplant a second chance, and see where the relationship lead. 

It think eggplant and I are doomed to be like one of those on-again/off-again sitcom relationships.

In my last post, we were on good terms... cut into cubes and roasted, it was delicious. Today though, a completely different story. 

A week ago I went out to dinner with Quentin and his family to celebrate his Dad's birthday. We went to L'atelier du Parc, a modern French restaurant near the Porte de Versailles in Paris. Now, I am usually one to bring my camera everywhere I go, but that night for some reason I forgot to bring a camera. I even purchased a pocket-sized point and shoot a few months ago to make sure that even on those "inappropriate for DSLR" moments, I had a camera. I am still kicking myself in the ass for it.

I won't go into the entire experience in this post... as it would take quite a long time to write it all (the dinner was amazing). I will though, give you a little bite of what lingered in my head since that night. 

Before our meal was served, the waiters brought us an amuse-bouche. In French, amuse-bouche means "mouth-amuser"... literally, one bite, given by the chef, to give you an opening experience of the restaurant and prepare you for your meal. The waiters brought the amuse-bouche of eggplant and mascarpone cheese to us in shot-glass sized tapered glasses topped with a mesclun leaf (sorry there's no picture of it, *kick*). The creaminess of the mascarpone cheese perfectly accented the eggplant, and the thought of trying to re-create the recipe lingered with me the entire week.

I figured it would be fairly simple; roast the eggplant, add mascarpone, top it with something crunchy... crispy fried shallots. It started out great, I roasted the eggplant, pureed it, pushed it through a sieve to make sure there were no lumps, and mixed it with the mascarpone. I sliced the shallots, tossed them in flour, and fried them to a nice brown crisp. Everything looked good, but looks can be oh-so deceiving.

I can only describe it as "bland baby food topped with baby onion rings". Maybe my younger years of eggplant hating karma were coming back to haunt me?! Maybe I didn't roast the eggplant long enough. Definitely too much mascarpone. Not enough salt. Should I have added garlic? Ugh. Luckily I only made enough for 1-2 servings. At least it looked nice, and it was edible.

I refuse to let this failed experiment keep me from writing off eggplant from my grocery lists. I will settle the score. So far: Eggplant-1, Katrina-1. Bring it.

Tartine Tuesday: Jerk Chicken Salad and Black Tomato Tartines

On a previous trip to the grocery store, I came across black tomatoes. 

Also called kumato tomatoes, black tomatoes are a variety of tomatoes which are grown in Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Canada. The interesting thing about these tomatoes is that they ripen from the inside outwards. They are slightly smaller than your normal, everyday tomato(as shown in the picture above), and come in colors ranging from dark brown, to red, to golden green. Their flavor is more intense, and their flesh is much firmer than a regular tomato, making them perfect for salads and sandwiches.

I wanted to incorporate my recently purchased black tomatoes into one of my "Tartine Tuesday" recipes before they became too ripe to use.

Last night we had rotisserie-style jerk chicken. With only 3 people eating dinner, had a good hunk of meat left over for today. I stared at the leftover leg/thigh combo to try to get some inspiration for my tartine of the week. I shredded some of the meat into a bowl and added some mayo that I found in the back of the fridge. Ding! Chicken salad.

Now, you can use this recipe with regular rotisserie chicken, but I figured the heat form the jerk spices would give a little kick to the everyday chicken salad. I know, I should post the jerk chicken recipe before posting this one, but honestly, it's just a spice mix we had and rubbed on the chicken. Feel free to do the same, and make your own leftover jerk chicken for this recipe!!

Jerk Chicken Salad and Black Tomato Tartines

1 1/2 cups of shredded rotisserie-style jerk chicken
2 black tomatoes, sliced(If you can't find black tomatoes, you can use any kind of tomatoes)
1 1/2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 slices of whole grain bread, toasted
salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, add the shredded chicken and mayo, and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. If you are using regular rotisserie-style chicken, you can add a pinch crushed red pepper to give it some kick. Spread the chicken salad over toast and top with black tomatoes. Serves 2.

Tartine Tuesday: Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onion, and Balsamic Fig Tartines

This is for all my friends out there who, like me, adore goat cheese. You're welcome.

Originally, I wanted to make these tartines with fresh mission figs. It was only about a year ago when I had my very first taste of fresh fig. I know, I know, how could that be?! Well, growing up there were always Fig Newtons at my Grandmother's house. She loved(and still does) them, but I was never really a fan. I guess I figured fresh figs would taste the same. Wow, was I wrong.

While living in Atlanta, I noticed two large mission fig trees growing near my urban vegetable garden in our apartment complex. Being a lover of all things food(especially free food) I gave a stab at trying one fresh off the tree. Wow. I picked a handful, brought them back to my apartment and made roasted figs with goat cheese, and prosciutto. Even wow-er. Okay, so now I like figs.

So today I went looking for some fresh mission figs at the supermarket, but could only find dried Turkish figs. I figured I could improvise.

I saved the left over duck fat from last night's magret de canard(duck breast) that Quentin so deliciously cooked for us, and spent most of the night brainstorming on how I could use it. I thought to myself, "Figs go well with goat cheese, goat cheese goes well with caramelized onions, onions + duck fat = yum, and duck goes well with fig."

Bingo.

Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onions, and Balsamic Fig Tartines

6 slices of bread (or about 10 slices of baguette), toasted
2 medium sized yellow onions, sliced
1 tablespoon of duck fat(you can also use bacon grease, or just butter and olive oil)
6-8 turkish figs, dried
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of honey
fresh goat's cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Slice the dried figs in half and place in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over the figs until just covered, and let steep for 10-15 minutes.

In a medium-sized sauté pan or frying pan, heat a tablespoon of duck fat on medium-high heat. Once heated, add the onions and stir to coat the onions with fat. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and reduce heat to medium. Stir every 10 minutes or so, until the onions are softened and brown. This will take about 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove figs from the hot water(save the water) and scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon. In a small saucepan, add the fig seeds and pulp, balsamic vinegar, honey, 1/3 cup of the water the figs were steeping in, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5-10 minutes, until thickened.

Spread fresh goat's cheese on toasts and top with freshly cracked black pepper. Spoon balsamic fig reduction over the goat cheese and top with caramelized onions. Add a little slice of dried fig to the top for presentation. Serves 2.

Tartine Tuesday: Brie, Crispy Ham, and Green Olive Tartines

I've never been too crazy about lunch meat style ham. It's usually in some kind of rectangular shape(I've never seen a rectangular pig) and packaged in a bag with water(why?!?). Now, I'm not trying to be snooty or say I'm too good for lunch meat... I can't really afford to be picky these days. I have found a way though, to give a little umph to the blah that is lunch meat.
 

Meet my brie, crispy ham, and green olive tartines.

Brie, Crispy Ham, and Green Olive Tartines

6 slices of bread or baguette, toasted
6 slices of brie(cream cheese works really well as a substitute)
2 slices of lunch meat style ham, cut into small strips
green olives, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a sauté or frying pan on medium to medium-high heat. Add the strips of ham and fry until crispy(as you would with bacon or lardons). Top each slice of toast with a piece of brie, crispy ham, and green olives. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 2.

Tartine Tuesday: Mascarpone BLT Tartines

To make my life a little easier, I have decided to implement Tartine Tuesday. The tartine is the epitome of the French open-faced sandwich, usually consisting of a slice of bread topped with a spread or pâté. It is similar to the Italian bruschetta, grilled toasts topped with concoctions of tomatoes, red peppers, olives, herbs, etc... all in all, delicious.

 

So, in honor of this deliciously simple and versatile snack, each Tuesday I will post a new tartine recipe. Doing this helps me in more than one way. First, it lets me spend a little less time on writing a whole story/backdrop for a recipe(gives you more recipes, and me more time to see Paris... he he), and second, it puts an ease on my wallet, since I'll really just be improvising with whatever I already have in my kitchen!

First up to bat:

Mascarpone BLT(Basil, Lardon, Tomato) Tartines

6 slices of baguette, toasted
mascarpone cheese
6 leaves of fresh basil
150g lardons(if you don't have access to lardons, you can always just use bacon that's cut into small strips)
6 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil(I used home-made oven-dried tomatoes, which will be in the next post!)
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a saute pan on medium to medium-low heat. Add the lardons(or bacon) and slowly render out the fat until they are browned and crispy. Place lardons on a paper towel to soak up any extra grease.

Toast the slices of baguette, and spread mascarpone cheese on each slice. Top with lardons, fresh basil, and sun-dried tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 1-2.