French Fridays with Dorie
Just call it ‘tartine‘
That makes everything fancy
…Just more stuff on toast
Armed with a baguette –
Nothing should be off limits
From tartine jewels
Sweet fruit with pepper
Goat cheese and some balsamic:
Effortless starter
Just keep bread handy
Then put any food on it
There! You have tartines!
Cherry, Strawberry, Goat Cheese Balsamic Tartines
The strawberries here haven’t yet developed that super intensity which signals summer is in session. A drizzle of balsamic over a bowl of strawberries with a shake of black pepper has always been a secret weapon of mine so I knew I would love this dish. (Try adding a splash of balsamic to strawberry ice cream if you dare. You will be glad you did.) We lucked out with a pound of the most flavorful black cherries I have had in years last weekend so I mixed it up a bit. I also have a bottle of black cherry infused balsamic vinegar so it was certainly a perfect storm for this particular appetizer at my house! Red or white? It doesn’t matter.
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table". Original 'recipe' found here.
This is what you will need:
- 1 baguette
- goat cheese
- ripe strawberries and/or cherries (pitted), sliced in half
- old style balsamic (I used cherry balsamic)
- ground pepper
This is how you make it:
- Cut as many slices of baguette 1/3" thick on a slight diagonal as you need. Lay out on a cookie sheet and broil for 30 seconds until toasted lightly on one side. DO NOT take your eye off of them while under the broiler. Remove from broiler and let cool.
- Spread 1/2 teaspoon or more of soft goat cheese on each baguette slice. Top with strawberry halves or cherry halves. Slightly season with fresh ground pepper and a very slight drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
This dish was an assignment for French Friday’s with Dorie, a cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan’s culinary tome “Around My French Table”. We generally avoid including the recipes in our posts. However, wherever there has been a significant adaptation by me or where the recipe has already been publicly posted by Ms. Greenspan or her publishers or hundreds of other bloggers I will either include it here (only when adapted) or provide a direct link. Please feel free to contact me via the link provided on my page if you need any assistance finding a French Friday with Dorie Recipe. You should buy the book though. It will change your life as it has mine.
I love the idea of this with cherries! Must. Try. when cherries are a bit more in season!
Your cherry option sounds sublime as well….
The Haiku is back!
Where is your haiku Lizzie?!
Stuff on toast, that could be the title of a book. I´ll take your cherries on toast first! You wrote balsamic ice cream, does that exist? Probably a typo, but it may be a flavor to investigate…
Not a typo Paula. I’ve been putting balsamic in ice cream for years.
http://www.sisboomblog.com/2010/10/fig-balsamic-ice-cream.html
Stuff on toast, indeed…
Such a plan for dinner, please.
Strawberries, I need.
Balsamic is good
On every sort of food
Sweet? Savory? Yes.
If only my mother’s stuff on toast had been this good.
Mama’s stuff on toast
Ack. Did we really eat that?
Wish she knew Dorie.
This triggered a memory of once making a strawberry jam with pepper and serving it with goat cheese. Umm. Will have to find that but this looks just as good!
Perrrty.
I love your idea to use cherries and strawberries-wish I had a tartine for breakfast right now-(will have to settle for blueberries and granola) I like the idea of tartines served at a summertime brunch 😉 Pretty pictures, love your flowers (thanks for sharing)..oh pink, my favorite color!
Really great photos, Trevor! I love flavored Balsamic so will have to try that as well. This one truly surpassed my expectations.
Have a lovely weekend!
What wonderful flavors. Bravo! (extreme self-editing induced by last week’s shoulder op.)
Give me a berry,
Ripe with the warmth of the sun,
Watch a big smile bloom.
Plump berries bring smiles
I pop them into my mouth
like happiness pills
Pretty little tartines
sitting on a tray
looking so fancy et chic
How many shall i taste
while i wait
for my honey
One is not enough
they’re minyscule little things
Surely you’d understand
three tartine’s more like it
but with wine..
six is better
So sorry honey,
but this time..
you got home too late
There is alway SOS now that is something special on toast.
I think I’ll take cherries. I thought kiwi might be good.
So inviting for a summer supper. Love the overhead shot. Ahem. Have never tried balsamic on berries but hear it is very good. What red do you recommend serving? I’ll be over at 7.
You inspire me
for leaving my comfort zone:
The overhead shot.
Beautiful tray of tartine! Cherries sound delectable…and cherry balsamic…Ooooo! I have to give ice cream a try with balsamic! Sounds interesting! I plan on using this idea all summer for barbecues. Nice appetizer. Have a great weekend, Trevor!
Kathy, I often will drizzle balsamic over strawberries when on vanilla ice cream. I added it to fig ice cream as well. Definitely a great flavor add.
Such beautiful photos! I love how simple but elegant this is. I’m making mine now as well as a small batch of strawberry jam. Love that you also used cherries. What a great idea!
wow your balsamic sounds amazing! where did you get it? ? i think this is my favorite of your presentations in awhile its really great!
I think the aged cherry balsamic came from Whole Foods. They have a nice selection of fruit infused balsamics there that I like to play around with.
Nice! Great cherry twist!
Once summer berries
Appear on my plate again
I forgive the heat.
I envisioned mine as an easy, leisurely breakfast, but your photos are making me long for a bottle of red to take out to the patio, along with a tray of those elegant bites. I’m so looking forward to cherries at the farmers’ market, soon.
when I stuff my face
its hard to think of seasons
berries are magic.
Hmm, I may take you up on your suggestion to add balsamic to strawberries and ice cream. Sounds delicious.
Perfect summer dish
Making again for breakfast
This time I might share
forced to share at first
I decided to make more
these, for selfish me.
Trevor, nice touch to use black cheeries (which happen to be my favorite fruits of all times but so hard to find really good ones) plus strawberries – isn´t it funny how there are so many different balsamic vinegars, now cherry balsamic sounds quite delicious and I will keep that in mind. We actually eat balsamic vinegar on ice cream (with and without strawberries) quite a bit, some of my friends just cannot get enough of that flavor combination, so this recipe was not really such a surprise but it was delicious nonetheless – outstanding photography as well, always love your style!
Have a good Sunday!
We all adored this one and I was especially excited that I often have the ingredients on hand (ok, must be strawberry season if I am going that route….) My kids could not believe there was balsamic or pepper on these tasty morsel but they adored them. I enjoyed a big plate for lunch yesterday as well. Now to find the cherry flavored balsamic…..
Your Post was full of ideas, Trevor. Love the thought of strawberry ice cream with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I bought my first bag of black cherries of the season at Whole Foods this weekend. Must be a good year because mine were, and still are, delicious. You obviously liked the toasted baguette. I liked either/or. Just a good combo. Infused black cherry balsamic vinegar, hmmmm. I’m ready to replenish supplies in my kitchen and nut oils and infused vinegars are now on the list. Could not find pistachio paste at Whole Foods. Will have to order. Susan is right. Lovely pictures.
LOL – this is very fancy “stuff on toast”. I love your cherry/cherry balsamic combination – I think this stuff on toast has endless potential.
Oh hey, strawbs, cherries, balsamic, black pepper whaaaa? This sounds like the perfect kind of stuff on toast (and the perfect thing to make a toast with!).
Open faced sandwich
Or tartine if you’re fancy
All the same to me
Strawberries on bread?
Yet Trevor makes it special
With some black pepper
Yup, I love balsamic on strawberries! I’ll definitely try this with cherries too. It’s my new favorite breakfast.
I’m not having much luck leaving a comment! So if you get three in a row sorry 🙂
I think your presentation is super classy and elegant. The cherries look delicious!
the cherries are a great idea! I’m sure pears would taste good as well since that is usually what I have my goat cheese with! 🙂
Brilliant photos. I can’t wait to try this with Cherries!
Love the flowers, so sad Peonies are gone so quickly- there is nothing like them. I love to pair strawberries with balsamic too. I make roasted strawberry parfait with black pepper buttermilk ice cream.