BBQ Bistro: Simple, Sophisticated French Recipes for Your Grill (2015)
CHAPTER 3
TARTINES & PAIN GRILLÉ
TOASTED & GRILLED BREAD
Grilled Asparagus Flatbread with Pistachios, Feta, and Lemon Aioli
Socca on the Grill
SIDEBAR: Savory Tartines
Grilled Salmon Benedict
Provençal Butter and Sizzling Mushrooms
Black Olive Tapenade Tartines
Warm Goat Cheese Tartines with Fresh Figs
Ham and Gruyère Tartines
TRIO OF SUMMER TARTINES:
Juicy Tomatoes and Capers
French Feta and Charentais Melon
Fromage Blanc and Lemon Verbena Pistou
TRIO OF AUTUMN TARTINES:
Roquefort and French Butter Pears
Tenderloin and Shaved Parmesan
French Garden Radish Tartines
SIDEBAR: Toast and Jam
Most of us are familiar with bruschetta and crostini—toasted, open-faced bread with toppings. And that is exactly what a French tartine is. In this book, tartines get even more flavor because they are grilled over higher heat than your oven or toaster, making them sensational. Just like bruschetta, tartines can be topped with a myriad of flavorful seasonal ingredients. Ours have a French twist.
The one essential to a great tartine is the bread. The better the bread, the better the tartine. We like to use the French sandwich loaf bread known as pain de mie, sourdough, artisan breads of all kinds, brioche, baguettes, or any bread with a sturdy crumb and a good flavor that will stand up to the heat of the grill. Thicker-cut slices of bread will result in knife-and-fork tartines, while thinner slices can be hand held.
Tartines can start your day with Toast and Jam (page 67) or end the meal with delicious grilled fruits you’ll find in our Dessert & Fruits chapter (page 200).
At Jody Williams’s gastrothèque Buvette in New York City and Paris, softly scrambled eggs are spooned over grilled tartines, then topped with bacon or ribbons of smoked salmon. Savory tartines can be served for a brunch or lunch, like the Grilled Salmon Benedict tartine with Hollandaise (page 57). The Juicy Tomatoes and Capers tartines (page 61), as with many of the other combinations, can make a lovely light lunch or supper when served with a salad.
Pain grillé or grilled bread can be a flatbread, the crêpe-like socca, or simply bread that is slathered with olive oil and grilled to accompany another dish.
GRILLED ASPARAGUS FLATBREAD WITH PISTACHIOS, FETA, AND LEMON AIOLI
FRENCH FLATBREADS ARE DELICIOUSLY SIMPLE. IN THE NORTH, THE ALSATIAN tarte flambée or flammekuchen is a thin flatbread made with yeast dough and topped with crème fraîche, lardons (bacon), and onion. In the south, fougasse has the filling rolled into the dough and is shaped in a leaf form. We have taken the yeast dough, rolled it thin, and then grilled it to await the French toppings of grilled asparagus, lemon aioli, feta, and pistachios. (The French feta cheese is mild and creamy and usually made from excess sheep’s milk that is not used for making Roquefort.) With a flute of Champagne, life is good.
SERVES 4
1 pound (450 g) prepared pizza dough
Olive oil for brushing
1 pound (450 g) fresh asparagus
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Food Processor Aioli (page 29), prepared
4 ounces (125 g) French feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup (30 g) shelled, roasted, and chopped pistachios
Prepare a medium-hot indirect fire in your grill.
Divide the dough into four parts. Pat or roll each part into a 6-inch (15-cm) oval on a floured surface. Brush both sides with olive oil and place on a baking sheet to take to the grill.
Trim the asparagus, brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and take out to the grill. Place the asparagus spears perpendicular to the grill rack. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, turning often, until the asparagus is tender-crisp and has charred a bit. Transfer to a cutting board and chop into 2-inch-long (5 cm) diagonal pieces. Set aside.
Place the dough ovals on the grill grates. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until the underside has good grill marks. Transfer the dough ovals to the indirect side, grilled-side up. Dollop Lemon Aioli on the top of each grilled dough oval and spread it quickly with the back of the spoon. Scatter with asparagus, and then sprinkle with feta and pistachios. Close the grill lid, and grill for 3 to 4 minutes or until the feta is beginning to melt and the dough has cooked through.
Serve warm and pass the remaining Lemon Aioli at the table.
SOCCA ON THE GRILL
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE BY DAVID LEBOVITZ, THIS GLUTEN-FREE CHICKPEA FLATBREAD is street food from the south of France made even more deliciously on your grill. You can find chickpea flour at Whole Foods, health food stores, in grocery stores that carry Bob’s Red Mill products, and at Indian markets as “besan” flour. This is also a great gluten-free way to entertain. Just chill out by the grill with a glass of crisp rosé and eat the socca as it comes off the grill, drizzled with olive oil or topped with accompaniments of your choice. Says Lebovitz, “Socca is meant to be in rough shards, eaten with your fingers, and is especially good after a long day on a sun-saturated beach when your skin is tingling with sand and you can lick your lips and taste the salt of the Mediterranean.” Using your grill and a cast-iron skillet gives a much more authentic result.
SERVES 4
1 cup/113 g chickpea flour
1 cup (250 ml) plus 2 tablespoons water
¾ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
1½ tablespoons olive oil plus 1 tablespoon for the pan
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Food Processor Aioli (page 29), prepared (optional)
1 cup (175 g) cured black olives (optional)
For the batter, whisk together the chickpea flour, water, salt, cumin, and 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil. Let the batter rest at least 2 hours, covered and at room temperature, to slightly thicken.
Prepare a medium-hot fire in your grill. Heat a 10-inch (25-cm) cast-iron skillet on the grill grates. Close the grill lid and let the pan heat for 20 minutes.
When the grill and pan are hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and pour enough batter to cover the bottom. With a grill mitt on one hand, lift the skillet and swirl the batter around to level it. Close the lid and grill for 8 minutes. Open the lid and check for doneness. Grill until the socca is firm and beginning to blister on top and burn at the edges.
To serve, slide the socca out of the pan onto a cutting board, cut or tear it into pieces, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with aioli and cured olives, if desired.
Repeat the process with the remaining socca batter, adding 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan between each batch.
SAVORY TARTINES
So simple and so good, tartines are such an easy appetizer and a great way to use ready-made goods from the deli or les restes (leftovers) from your refrigerator. Make tartines really special by serving a wonderful aperitif with them.
TARTINE COMBINATIONS:
✵Avocado slices or (Avocado Relish page 90) and grilled shrimp
✵Smoked salmon or trout with Food Processor Aioli (page 29)
✵Scrambled eggs with caviar
✵Grilled Ratatouille (page 109)
✵Slices of Wood-Fired Duck Breasts with Fresh Herb Butter (page 153)
✵Terrine de Campagne (a pâté of coarsely chopped meats) with gherkins or cornichons
✵Stir-Grilled Shallots with Tarragon Butter (page 106)
✵Smoky Lamb Daube (page 148) with shredded Emmental cheese
✵Saucisson (dry-cured sausage) with a smear of mustard
✵Four-Herb Pistou (page 27) with toasted ground walnuts
GRILLED SALMON BENEDICT
THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO USE THE THIN TAIL END OF A SALMON FILLET TO MAKE a brunch or lunch Benedict. If you have grilled salmon from a previous meal, then this can be your déjà vu salmon Benedict, or use lox or smoked salmon from the deli. Instead of English muffins, you’ll use tartines (grilled bread) as the base. We have a stir-together topping, but you could substitute Food Processor Aioli (page 29) or Hollandaise Sauce (page 35). This is a knife-and-fork tartine, rather than hand held.
SERVES 4
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons snipped chives
4 slices of brioche or French bread, sliced ½ inch (1 cm) thick
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
4 (2-ounce/60-g) salmon fillets, about ½ inch (1 cm) thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs, hard-boiled and sliced
1 small (4-ounce/125-g) red onion, thinly sliced
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, and chives. Set aside.
Prepare a hot fire in your grill.
Lightly oil both sides of the bread. Lightly oil both sides of the salmon fillets and season with salt and pepper. Grill the bread for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown with good grill marks. Grill the salmon for about 2½ minutes per side, turning once.
To assemble the tartines, set the toasted bread on a plate and top with the grilled salmon, a sliced hard-boiled egg, and a dollop of the sauce. Scatter the red onion slices over the top.
VARIATIONS:
For more traditional eggs Benedict, serve this dish with poached eggs over the grilled salmon or even a sunny-side-up egg on top. For a Benedict with some punch, slather the grilled bread with Four-Herb Pistou (page 27). Yum!
PROVENÇAL BUTTER AND SIZZLING MUSHROOMS
SO SIMPLE. SO GOOD.
SERVES 4
1 pound (450 g) baby bella mushrooms, sliced
Olive oil for drizzling
1 recipe Provençal Butter (page 47)
12 slices of grilled baguette
Prepare a hot fire in your grill.
Set the mushrooms in a grill wok or basket on top of a baking sheet. Lightly drizzle the mushrooms with olive oil and place over the hot fire immediately. Grill for about 5 minutes tossing the mushrooms occasionally. Set the grilled mushrooms in a bowl and top with a couple of pats of the Provençal Butter. Toss to lightly coat the mushrooms.
To serve, place the grilled bread on a platter with a small bowl of the Provençal Butter along with the larger bowl of mushrooms. Slather the toast with butter and top with mushrooms.
BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE TARTINES
TAPENADE IS A STAPLE OLIVE PASTE OF THE SOUTHERN FRENCH PANTRY. IT IS RICH, delicious, and ours has an ample amount of lemony flavor.
SERVES 4
1 baguette, sliced ¼ inch (.5 cm) thick
Olive oil for brushing
Black Olive Tapenade
1 cup (175 g) finely chopped cured black olives
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
Prepare a hot fire in your grill.
Lightly oil both sides of the sliced baguette and grill for about 1 or 2 minutes on each side to a light golden brown. Set aside.
For the Black Olive Tapenade, combine the olives, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and butter in a bowl.
To serve, place the bowl of tapenade in the center of a platter with the grilled slices of baguette around it.
WARM GOAT CHEESE TARTINES WITH FRESH FIGS
AGOAT CHEESE TARTINE, A JUG OF WINE, AND YOU. THIS TARTINE CAN BE ENJOYED for breakfast, as a snack, or as a bistro supper with a good green salad. Fresh apricots, pears, or even the Port Cherry Sauce (page 175) would be good substitutes for the figs.
SERVES 4
1 baguette, sliced ¼ inch (.5 cm) thick
Olive oil for brushing
8 to 10 ounces (227 to 286 g) goat cheese, cut into ¼-inch-thick (0.5 g) slices
4 ripe fresh figs, sliced lengthwise (about ½ pound/250 g)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 sprigs or more of edible flowers like chive blossoms, nasturtium, or violets
Prepare a hot indirect fire in your grill.
Lightly oil both sides of the sliced baguette and grill for about 1 or 2 minutes on each side to a light golden brown. Place the slices of grilled baguettes in a foil pan. Place a round of the goat cheese on each toast and top with a slice of fig. Set on the indirect side of the grill and close the lid. Grill for about 5 minutes until cheese has begun to melt.
To serve, set the tartines on a platter and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter the edible flowers on the plate and enjoy your small feast.
HAM AND GRUYÈRE TARTINES
PATRICIA WELLS’S COOKBOOKS ARE AMONG THE MOST PRIZED IN OUR COLLECTIONS. We’ve each traveled and cooked from her Food Lover’s Guide to Paris. Our cookbook club has reveled in her Bistro Cooking, our copies autographed from when she visited Kansas City many years ago. Her French Kitchen Cookbook is a delight; we have adapted her Ham and Cheese Squares with Cornichons to our open-faced version as a tartine.
SERVES 4
2 large sandwich-size pieces of brioche, sliced ½ inch (1 cm) thick
Olive oil for brushing
4 tablespoons Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Butter (page 47), prepared
8 thin slices good quality ham
8 ounces (250 g) freshly grated Gruyère or Comté cheese
8 cornichons
Prepare a hot indirect fire in your grill.
Lightly oil both sides of the sliced brioche and grill for about 1 or 2 minutes on each side to a light golden brown. Generously butter each slice of brioche with the Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Butter. Place the slices of grilled brioche in a foil pan, butter-side up. Place two pieces of ham on each slice of bread and top each piece with 4 ounces (125 g) of the grated cheese. Set on the indirect side of the grill and close the lid. Grill for about 5 minutes until cheese has begun to melt.
To serve, slice the brioche into four serving pieces either square or on the diagonal. Place a cornichon on top of each tartine with a colorful toothpick.
TRIO OF SUMMER TARTINES
If it were up to us, we’d just say Tartine de Tomate and be done with it. Nothing tastes better than a fresh, sun-ripened tomato picked from the vine and popped in your mouth—unless it is an oh-so-ripe tomato served on a fire-grilled slice of bakery bread. Well, maybe a garlic-rubbed toast with Sun Gold tomatoes squished between your fingers so all the juice is caught by the bread, and maybe a dollop of Four-Herb Pistou (page 27) or a slather of Roquefort Butter (page 47) topped with a thick slice of the reddest juiciest beefsteak tomato eaten over the sink.
JUICY TOMATOES AND CAPERS
THE BEST! USE THIS SIMPLE RECIPE AND ADD CHOPPED RED ONIONS, SNIPPED CHIVES, or torn basil for additional summer flavor.
SERVES 4
2 large beefsteak tomatoes (1 pound/500 g), chopped, saving the juices
3 tablespoons small capers, or more to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large slices of grilled country bread or pain de mie
Combine the tomatoes and their juices, capers, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes or more before serving on the crusty tartines.
FRENCH FETA AND CHARENTAIS MELON
SIMILAR TO CANTALOUPE, CHARENTAIS MELONS ARE SMALL WITH A DEEP ORANGE color and a highly fragrant tropical fruit and floral aroma. Sometimes you see them at specialty markets; you can also grow your own. Add some slices of dry-cured ham to the plate to serve along with this tartine, delicious for breakfast or as a light dinner with a glass of chilled rosé.
SERVES 6
1 (1-pound/500-g) ripe Charentais melon (or cantaloupe)
8 ounces (225 g) French feta cheese or goat cheese, crumbled
12 to 18 slices of grilled baguette
Cut the melon in half and remove the seeds. Slice the melon halves into six wedges and cut off the rind. Place the melon slices on a platter with a bowl of the crumbled feta in the center. Serve with a basket of the grilled tartines. Place a slice of melon on a tartine and top with some of the crumbled feta cheese.
FROMAGE BLANC AND LEMON VERBENA PISTOU
FROMAGE BLANC IS SIMILAR TO NEUFCHÂTEL CREAM CHEESE. IT’S A SOFT CREAMY spreadable cheese. It marries well with this flavorful pistou or the Four-Herb Pistou (page 27). Ricotta would be a good cheese substitute.
SERVES 6
12 to 18 slices of grilled baguette
8 ounces (225 g) fromage blanc or Neufchâtel cream cheese
1 cup (250 ml) Lemon Verbena Pistou (page 101), prepared
Fresh herbs, for garnish
Arrange the grilled tartines on a platter with a bowl each of the cheese and the pistou. Garnish with herbs. Spread the pistou onto a slice of grilled bread and top with some of the crumbled cheese.
TRIO OF AUTUMN TARTINES
Once farm stand or homegrown tomatoes are no longer available, then it’s time to switch to some autumnal offerings. It’s apple, pear, and quince season. Winter squash, including pumpkins, and other vegetables cooked or grilled to make a soft spread are delicious toppings on a tartine. Cauliflower or eggplant gratin, ratatouille, pickled beets with a smear of goat cheese, sharp cheddar with thinly shaved celery, and even grilled carrot ribbons are both tasty and eye-appealing choices for toppings and garnish.
ROQUEFORT AND FRENCH BUTTER PEARS
FOR US, THE JUICY PEAR TAKES OVER FOR THE SUMMER TOMATO. THE PEAR CAN be grilled, but if it is oh-so-juicy, then fresh slices are the way to prepare this, and one pear just isn’t enough. The French butter pears are a relative of the Anjou pear (so buy Anjous if you can’t find the other). They are wonderfully juicy and have just a hint of lemon.
SERVES 4
2 ripe French butter pears (8 ounces/250 g), cored and sliced
4 large slices of grilled brioche, cut in half
8 ounces (250 g) Roquefort cheese
Honey (optional)
Arrange the sliced pears on one side of a platter and the brioche tartines on the other side with a wedge of the Roquefort cheese in the middle. Serve with honey for drizzling, if desired.
TENDERLOIN AND SHAVED PARMESAN
THIS IS A MUST-HAVE TARTINE WHEN YOU HAVE LEFTOVER (LES RESTES) BEEF tenderloin or filet mignon; see our recipes in the Beef chapter (page 160). A shaving of just about any cheese would be compatible with the beef so try this with Gruyère, French feta, Comté, even Raclette.
SERVES 4
4 ounces (125 g) grilled beef tenderloin, sliced thin or thick
4 slices of grilled sourdough bread
4 ounces (125 g) wedge of Parmesan
To make the tartines, place slice(s) of the grilled beef tenderloin on top of the grilled bread and shave plenty of Parmesan cheese over the top.
FRENCH GARDEN RADISH TARTINES
FRESH-PICKED SPRING AND AUTUMN RADISHES SERVED WITH UNSALTED BUTTER and coarse sea salt are a classic French dish. In our book The Gardener & the Grill, we included a recipe for French Garden Radish Plate with Grilled Onion Butter for our “grilled” spin on the recipe. In this version, we grill the tartines and butter them with Fresh Herb Butter, Shallot or Onion Butter, or French Feta Butter (page 47). For a flavor more like Alsace-Lorraine, use a sour rye; to go more Parisian, try a baguette.
SERVES 6 TO 8
1 small loaf sour rye or a baguette, sliced ¼ inch (.5 cm) thick
Olive oil for brushing
1 recipe Fresh Herb Butter, Shallot or Onion Butter, or French Feta Butter (page 47), prepared
1 to 2 bunches (6 to 12 ounces/175 to 375 g) of small breakfast radishes, trimmed
Kosher salt or fleur de sel
Prepare a hot fire in your grill.
Lightly oil both sides of the bread and grill for about 1 or 2 minutes per side until golden brown with grill marks. Set aside.
When the tartines have cooled, lightly butter them and set on a platter.
Thinly slice the radishes with a sharp knife or a mandoline and arrange on top of the buttered tartine, sprinkle with salt, and serve.
TOAST AND JAM
Before the advent of wood stoves and then gas ranges, people used long forks to toast bread over the hearth fire. What we gained in convenience when the electric toaster came on the scene, we sacrificed in high-heat flavor. Bread starts to toast at 310°F (154°C), but it’s the high heat of a grill that can produce those wonderful charry bits that add a slight touch of bitterness and smoky flavor—which is a perfect foil for a sweet jam. Look for specialty French butter—the slightly tangy Beurre Echire, voluptuous Beurre d’Isigny, or creamy Plugra—at better grocery stores or gourmet shops. Savory and sweet contrasts are in many of the following suggestions. Try the Homemade Refrigerator Jam (page 210) or any good jar of jam or preserves like Bonne Maman for a superb topping. One of their newest flavors is Golden Plum Mirabelle made from yellow plums grown in the Lorraine region of France. We paired it with the earthy flavor of rye bread.
✵Grilled slices of French country bread, French butter, peach preserves, and a sprinkling of sea salt
✵Grilled slices of pain de mie, French butter, cinnamon, and sugar
✵Grilled slices of eight-grain bread with fromage blanc, chopped pistachios, and lavender honey
✵Grilled slices of sourdough with fig jam, Brie, and ham
✵Grilled slices of rustic rye bread with goat cheese and Bonne Maman Golden Plum Mirabelle preserves
✵Grilled slices cinnamon-raisin bread with Nutella and fresh pear slices
✵Grilled slices of walnut bread with cream cheese and cranberry sauce
✵Grilled slices of cranberry-walnut bread with almond butter, honey, and sea salt
✵Grilled slices of apricot bread with French feta cheese and honey