a day off and Keller's killer tartine

Not to rub it in…but it was an absolutely beautiful day here in Southern California.  Sunny skies and I believe we topped out at 80°. I played some tennis (not very well I might add), sat outside and got a little further along in my current read; Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl’s book on her life as a restaurant critic for the New York Times, and also decided to make a tuna sandwich for lunch. But not just “a tuna sandwich”; I made Thomas Keller’s’ Tuna Niçoise Tartine, which I adapted from a Bouchon Bakery recipe, and of course had to blog about it, because it is blog worthy.

It is made with a confit of garlic, which is amazingly sweet and creamy, so you won’t have to add as much oil and egg to the aïoli, the base for this little masterpiece. Use the best quality tuna packed in oil that you can find and top with hard-boiled eggs, butter lettuce, thinly sliced radishes and a few Niçoise olives scattered over the top and you have a killer sandwich for any day of the week, rain or shine.

Enjoy!
Shannon


Tuna Niçoise Tartine
adapted from Thomas Keller's recipe from Bouchon Bakery
4 thick slices whole grain or pain de campagne* , to serve
4 butter lettuce leaves, to serve
2 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced, to serve
3 radishes, thinly sliced, to serve
8 Niçoise olives, pitted, to serve
To serve: finely chopped chives, sweet paprika and extra-virgin olive oil

Confit garlic aïoli
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup canola oil
1 egg, room temperature
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Tuna salad
2 tsp. finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. chives, finely chopped
1 tsp. each finely chopped cornichon, shallot and capers
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 can tuna pack in oil, drained

For confit garlic aïoli, combine garlic and ½ cup olive oil in a small saucepan, cook over low heat until garlic is soft (20-30 minutes). Strain (reserve garlic), combine garlic oil with canola oil and remaining olive oil, set aside. Process egg, lemon juice and reserved garlic in a small food processor or blender until smooth (1-2 minutes). With motor running, gradually add combined oils and process until thick and emulsified. Season to taste, adjust consistency with a little water if necessary, and set aside.

For tuna salad, combine 2-3 tablespoons garlic aïoli, herbs, cornichon, shallot, capers and lemon juice in a bowl. Add tuna and mix until just combined, season to taste.

To serve, spread two bread slices with a little garlic aïoli, top each with two lettuce leaves, layer with tuna salad, egg and radish slices. Garnish with olives, chives and paprika, drizzle with oil, top with remaining bread slices and serve immediately.

*Pain de campagne is a round French country-style loaf similar to sourdough. If unavailable substitute sourdough.

serves 2

order up!

So what to have for lunch. I knew I wanted to use up those remaining figs before they shriveled up and ended up in the compost pile. After giving some thought to what would go well with the figs, I decided on some thinly sliced salty prosciutto, with maybe a little Burrata cheese, that lovely fresh mozzarella filled with mascarpone. Burratas’ outer bite is soft and springy while the filling melts in your mouth. This luscious, creamy cheese has a hint of sweetness-the ultimate little surprise package. I also had a jar of an organic Adriatic fig spread in the fridge. It is an outrageously rich preserve that pairs beautifully with many things including pears, blue cheese and walnuts or even fresh goat cheese or aged Manchego, but thought it would go very well with figs (fresh or dried) as well.

The final conclusion, a Panini made from a fresh farmers loaf I get from a local German bakery. I added a drizzle of olive oil to moisten each slice of bread. Put a touch of the fig spread on one slice, and then spread out a generous layer of prosciutto. I hand-tore the Burrata and laid that over the top of the prosciutto then sliced a couple of figs to top it all off.

If you don’t have a Panini press you can make do with a regular skillet and weight it down with another skillet or even a brick wrapped in foil works as well. Cook until cheese melts and the outside is a lovely golden color.



Enjoy!
Shannon

sometimes less is more

Sometimes the simplest of things just can't be improved upon.

My local farmers market was bursting with berries this weekend, and I couldn't help myself. The juicy sweetness of these little beauties is unparalleled. I happened to have a little brioche leftover from this outstanding bakery up the coast in Santa Barbara called D'Angelo's. So why not slather on some softened Irish butter, a sprinkling of sugar, and then scatter some fresh raspberries on top with a little more sugar to give them a light dusting.

This delicious combination ended up being my breakfast, but I'm thinking it could fall into the "snack" category as well as even a simple dessert.
Enjoy!
Shannon