Alain Coumont, the unassuming genius behind Le Pain Quotidien, the Belgian bakery that’s now gone global, visited Mumbai recently and hosted a tartine making Masterclass at his store in BKC and I was lucky enough to get a seat at the table with Andrea Brown.
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- LPQ tartine prep
How to make a Mozzarella and Tomato Tartine, LPQ style
Firstly you’ll need to pre toast your bread. We used a nice wholewheat loaf. If you don’t toast it at the first step you’ll end up with soggy bread which will just droop for a distinctly disappointing eating experience.
The next step is to spread a quality olive paste liberally over the bread and then interlace fresh tomato, Arugula, and mozzarella cheese until the bread is completely covered.
Whilst the tartine would be delicious at this point, just enough toasting in the oven to melt the cheese does wonders to bring all the flavours together.
Once it’s out of the over drizzle basil pesto over the top and slice into 5 pieces, garnish with olives and serve to friends as a healthy and fresh alternative to Italian pizza.
LPQ’s Smoked Salmon Tartine
Though we didn’t have the opportunity to get our hands dirty in the kitchen while preparing the Smoked Salmon Tartine, we made sure to take thorough notes for you.
Using a quality white bread, spread it crust to crust with butter before layering delicious fresh smoked salmon leaving about a centimetre at each end uncovered and sprinkle fresh, chopped dill and scallions over the top.
Cut off either end that you left uncovered by the salmon and then slice into 5 triangles. This will help stop the bread from drooping when you pick it up to eat. It’s the details that make a really great tartine.
Finally garnish it with finely sliced radish, lime wedges and fennel leaf and a glass of crisp, cold white wine.
Salut!