I recently made some tartines for my family and they were a hit.  The hearty and hardy sourdough bread, when toasted, acts as an absorbent plate that gathers all the delicious juices of that particular topping.  Basically, the sky's the limit in terms of toppings.  For one meal (above), I decided to make both sweet and savory tartines and they were all delicious. Tartines (French), like Italian crostini are open faced sandwiches. Tartines are usually piled high with ingredients and can be eaten with fork and knife.

I think of tartines as deconstructed dishes served on a slice of toast that acts as a juice soaker, so half the carbs of a regular sandwich!

Tips for making tartines.

The bread for the tartines should be pretty hardy and able to absorb the juices of the toppings without getting too soggy and fall apart.  Rustic breads, like sourdough, work well.  For savory tartines, depending on the toppings, I like to brush some olive oil onto the bread and either toast it or grill it.  Placing it on a hot grill gives those wonderful grill marks.

Deconstructed butternut squash "ravioli" tartine.

A layer of mascapone cheese topped with seasoned roasted diced butternut and topped with sage leaves crisped in browned butter. Roast the butternut squash with all the spices to enhance the flavor.

Enhanced BAT tartine. (Bacon, arugula and tomato)

An adaptation of a BLT with "maple" bacon, arugula and roasted tomatoes and red onion, topped with avocado.  Instead of regular bacon, tweak it a little and make it "maple" bacon. Add maple syrup or brown sugar to the almost cooked bacon.  Monitor the bacon after adding the "sugar" as it will tend to caramelize (brown) quickly.  This results in a delicious sweet and salty bacon combination.  

For the roasted, "jammy" tomatoes, place your cherry tomatoes and sliced onions in a pan. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in a 375° F (191° C) oven until cherry tomatoes look wrinkled. Mash tomatoes gently to form a jam.

I like using arugula instead of lettuce.  The arugula has a bolder taste that complements the taste of the bacon and "jammy" tomatoes.

Avocado, arugula, sprouts with cherry tomatoes and nutritional yeast tartine.

This simple breakfast tartine is delicious with a generous sprinkling of nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a protein supplement that adds umami to the avocado. 

Use nutritional yeast instead of salt.  It is very nutritious and a great source of vitamins and minerals.  However, if you don't have nutritional yeast, a coarse grain salt gives you bursts of saltiness.

Cheddar cheese with sauteed mushrooms and onions tartine.

For the melted cheddar cheese topped with a medley of sauteed mushrooms, onions and squash blossoms, melt the cheddar cheese by placing slices of cheddar cheese on the bread into a toaster oven.  Slice the mushrooms and onions and saute in butter.

Cream cheese, fried eggs, sprouts and capers tartine.

A delicious hearty breakfast tartine with cream cheese, arugula and sprouts with roasted peppers and a fried egg.  I like to make the egg yolks on the softer side.  The runny yolk provides richness when it oozes all over the tartine! Sprinkle with capers and fresh ground pepper for extra flavor!

Bruschetta for breakfast tartine.

This is an adapted breakfast bruschetta, substituting the fresh mozzarella cheese for warm, toasted cheese of your choice.  With peak tomato season, try some interesting and different tomatoes.  Don't forget to add the fresh basil and oregano, sprinkled with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper.  If the basil is not tender, "chiffonade" the basil.  (See video)

Smashed Avo with poached egg tartine.

Another delicious all day tartine.  Make a poached egg and add it to some smashed avocado.  Sprinkle with paprika and red crushed chilli flakes.  Once again, a runny egg yolk provides extra richness to the tartine.

Mascapone cheese with grilled nectarine tartine.

This dessert tartine is comprised of mascapone cheese with a grilled nectarine, "chiffonade" mint leaves and drizzled with honey.  Want to learn how to chiffonade? Check out the video below.

The options for tartines are endless and make an interesting and delicious meal.  So when you want to have a sandwich, halve the carb, deconstruct a recipe, pile it high with ingredients and call it a tartine!

I hope this gets your imagination going.  Let me know about the creative combinations you come up with in the comment section.