Strawberry Tartine
Tartine is the French word for stuff on toast, as I like to call it. A slice of lightly toasted bread topped with whatever suits your fancy. Really. The combinations are endless. This has a soft cheese (ricotta or goat cheese), sweet seasonal fresh strawberries and a drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar, the good kind. It's fresh, easy, very satisfying and great for warm weather.
Servings 4 tartines
Ingredients
- 4 bread slices
- olive oil
- 4 tablespoons ricotta cheese or soft goat cheese
- black pepper freshly ground
- 12 fresh strawberries washed, dried, hulled, and sliced
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar regular balsamic vinegar or the concentrated balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- If you want to use whipped ricotta (as opposed to using it as it comes, more grainy), process 4 tablespoons ricotta cheese until smooth.
To make the syrup:
- Put 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and let reduce over low heat. You can double the amount and keep it to use for salads or other dishes. It keeps almost indefinitely.
- Check constantly until it's syrupy and thick. It might take 5 minutes or 15, depending on the balsamic vinegar's water content.
- Remove from heat, let cool completely, and keep in a glass jar.
To assemble:
- Drizzle lightly 4 bread slices with olive oil and toast in a medium oven (325°F/170°C) until it begins to color.
- Spread the soft cheese on each bread slice, dividing equally.
- Sprinkle with black pepper.
- Top with 12 fresh strawberries, sliced.
- Drizzle with half a teaspoon or so of balsamic syrup.
- Eat immediately.
Notes
Bread:
Make sure you use a soft but rustic bread, the type you buy at a good bakery with a good crust and great flavor. I use the Semolina bread recipe, one of the most popular (by far) in this blog. And sometimes the No-knead French Bread recipe. I don't recommend packaged supermarket bread that is too soft, like sandwich bread. You need a sturdier base. Cheese:
Chevre, that fabulous soft cheese, is the best goat cheese for this tartine. It has character but is not overpowering and lets other ingredients shine. I find it very hard to find sometimes, so sometimes end up using goat's feta cheese. Not the same but still good.
Substitution: this strawberry tartine also works using a good brie cheese or thick ricotta. Strawberries: using fresh ones is the best and I recommend you make this tartine during strawberry season. That said, you can also roast them first. This is a good idea if the berries are lacking in flavor or you only have frozen and you want to make this recipe anyway. Bake in a 350°F/180°C oven for 15-20 minutes, until they start to shrivel. You can add a teaspoon or two of brown sugar before roasting them for a sweeter flavor.
Make sure you use a soft but rustic bread, the type you buy at a good bakery with a good crust and great flavor. I use the Semolina bread recipe, one of the most popular (by far) in this blog. And sometimes the No-knead French Bread recipe. I don't recommend packaged supermarket bread that is too soft, like sandwich bread. You need a sturdier base. Cheese:
Chevre, that fabulous soft cheese, is the best goat cheese for this tartine. It has character but is not overpowering and lets other ingredients shine. I find it very hard to find sometimes, so sometimes end up using goat's feta cheese. Not the same but still good.
Substitution: this strawberry tartine also works using a good brie cheese or thick ricotta. Strawberries: using fresh ones is the best and I recommend you make this tartine during strawberry season. That said, you can also roast them first. This is a good idea if the berries are lacking in flavor or you only have frozen and you want to make this recipe anyway. Bake in a 350°F/180°C oven for 15-20 minutes, until they start to shrivel. You can add a teaspoon or two of brown sugar before roasting them for a sweeter flavor.
