Get creative with these fresh and egg-centric tartine recipes to savor
We are not weighing in on the sometimes-heated debate about what constitutes a sandwich (though you can Google “Sandwich Alignment Chart” if you want to see where you stand). Suffice it to say, humans have been putting a variety of ingredients on or between pieces of bread and eating them for centuries.
The origin of the open-faced sandwich most likely dates to the Middle Ages when pieces of stale, leftover bread—or “trenchers”—were used as sort of make-shift utensils for scooping and holding food. Later versions were more refined and particularly popular in Scandinavian countries.
Today, many cuisines around the world have some version of the open-faced sandwich. But, leave it to the French to make it sound fancy by using the term “tartine,” which translates literally to “bread with something on it.”
The beauty of tartines is that they are infinitely variable, limited only by the imagination in terms of what ingredients and combinations you can concoct and how artistic you can make them look.
“They can be as elaborate or as plain as you want,” says local cooking instructor Jacqui Renager. “Dress them up or dress them down.”
Just in time for spring, we asked Renager to share a few recipes and tips for creating beautiful and delicious tartines showcasing one of the season’s most classic ingredients: eggs. Each recipe features a different egg preparation—boiled, fried or poached—along with a rainbow of fresh toppings.
Among the most important tips for any tartine, Renager notes, is always grilling your bread slices before topping them. Choose a fresh, good-quality bread with a firm but chewy texture that will hold up and make a nice base for the toppings when grilled. Whole Foods and Wegmans have a wonderful selection of fresh-made breads already sliced and ready to use.
From there, you can go wild with savory or sweet layers of texture and flavor imparted by ingredients from spreads, cheeses and eggs to creamy salads, cured meats, greens, herbs, fruits, vegetables, olives, capers, pickles and so much more.
—Leona Baker
BUILDING YOUR TARTINES
Recipes and Photos by Jacqui Renager
BREAD BASICS
Grill, Baby, Grill Using a pastry brush, generally coat both sides of the bread with extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides. Grill long enough to see some grill marks. Be careful, they can burn quickly. Grilling the bread adds amazing flavor and texture to your tartines. If you do not have access to a grill or grill pan, toasting the bread directly on an oven rack or a quick turn under the broiler on each side are good alternatives. Be sure to still brush with olive oil first.
TARTINE ONE
(Pictured, top of page)
The Bread
Grilled Pumpernickel
The Toppings
Whipped Cream Cheese
Sockeye Salmon Lox
Capers
Fresh Dill
Medium Boiled Egg
Salt & Pepper
In addition to a lovely selection of fresh pre-sliced breads, Whole Foods is also a good source for the sockeye salmon—recognizable by its deep salmon color—featured in this recipe. The salmon pairs beautifully with whipped cream cheese (available in any grocery store), capers and freshly chopped dill and a medium boiled egg.
Spread the cream cheese on grilled bread, layer with salmon and arrange other ingredients on top, finishing with the eggs, and salt and pepper to taste.
Medium Boiled Eggs
Make Them Jammy Use older eggs because they peel easier. Bring eggs to room temperature before boiling, add eggs to already boiling water and boil for seven minutes to get a jammy yolk and set outer edges. Immediately cooked eggs plunge in an ice bath to avoid overcooking. Handle with care while peeling.
TARTINE TWO
The Bread
Grilled Sourdough
The Toppings
Whipped Goat Cheese
Finely Chopped Herbs
Sauteed Spinach
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Sunnyside Up Egg
Salt & Pepper
To whip the goat cheese, add herbs of choice (thyme and chives are a nice touch). Place goat cheese in a medium bowl, add half and half a tablespoon at time and whip with a hand blender until the consistency is easy spreadable. When sautéing spinach, opt for less time in the pan to retain a bright green color. After cooking spinach, let drain in a colander. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Spread the whipped goat cheese on grilled bread, layer with spinach and arrange other ingredients on top, finishing with the eggs, salt and course-ground black pepper to taste.
Sunnyside Up Eggs
Keep It Simple Sunnyside up eggs are a no-brainer, right? Sort of. A few tips for pretty-as-a-picture sunnysides include using a good nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron pan, making sure the pan is preheated before placing the eggs, cooking low and slow to prevent excessive browning of the whites before the yolk sets, and using a lid to get a more even doneness.
TARTINE THREE
The Bread
Grilled Olive Bread
The Toppings
Baby Arugula
Avocado slices
Rainbow Microgreens
Poached Eggs
Salt & Pepper
Olive bread has that lovely salty, savory bite that, when brushed with olive oil and grilled, is the perfect base for peppery arugula, creamy avocado slices, rainbow microgreens (again, Whole Foods) and poached eggs cooked to silky-center perfection. See tips for poaching eggs and prepping ahead below.
Poached Eggs
Handle with Care Fill a 4.5-quart sauté pan 2/3 full of water. Bring to a simmer. Put each egg in a small ramekin. Gently add eggs, one at a time, to your water. Cover the pan. Set a time for three minutes. Have an ice bath waiting for your finished eggs. Remove eggs from pan with a slotted spoon very carefully. Gently place in ice bath.
You can keep these eggs in the water for a week and use when ready. To reheat, bring a saucepan to a rapid simmer. Carefully place the poached eggs in the hot water and let sit for up to 25 seconds. This will reheat the egg without cooking the yolk.
Leona Baker
Leona Baker is the former Editor-in-Chief of Coastal Virginia Magazine. She is a writer, creative, communications professional, food freak, news junkie, nature and travel lover and mom. She holds a degree in English from James Madison University and a degree in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. She previously served as Senior Copywriter for Spark 451, Director of Marketing & Communications at Virginia Wesleyan University, and Senior Editor of Port Folio Weekly.
