Kitchen Comforts and a seasonal Tartine recipe
Unsurprisingly the kitchen is my favourite room, especially at this time of year when I feel so grateful for the cosiness and friendliness of this space which is the beating heart of our home. We all meet here for breakfast at 6.30am on weekdays, some of us more bleary-eyed than the others ( I can’t function without a well brewed cup of tea at that time of day) and I’ve started to light the special coloured glass tea lights that were stored away over the summer, so that there is a flickering warm comforting glow in the kitchen to chase away the stubborn darkness out of doors. There’s been so much rain in our part of the world this week that at times, when the downpours were particularly heavy, it felt as though we were not in the kitchen but in an aquarium!
Today the sun emerged tentatively from behind a mass of grey clouds, and I took a photo of the beautiful seasonal arrangements-dahlias and hydrangeas- which two of the lovely ladies from of my local Book Club kindly brought last night- they were grown in their gardens and aren’t the colours glorious! In the background is a large painting of Japanese anemones- my favourite autumn blooms- by British artist Anne-Marie Butlin. This painting gives me so much joy every day. There are other pictures in my kitchen that always lift my spirits- they bring back memories of places and moments that have a special significance to me. A recently acquired painting by Anna Neima always transports me back to when my children were very small, and we lived in a bustling leafy neighbourhood in North London.
And the painting of the mug on the window sill by Lia Hattersley conjures up images of our much loved very first flat, overlooking chimney pots, on the top floor of Victorian terraced house not far from the Finchley Road, also in London.
Small but effective comforts at this time of year also come in the form of tartines, my go-to solution for an instant mood booster. What could be nicer that two slices of very fresh bread topped with beautiful seasonal ingredients. When I was little, my favourite tartine was the super simple but immensely satisfying bread and butter- very fresh baguette sliced lengthways and slathered with unsalted Normandy butter- I liked to see my toothmarks in the butter! So much so, that my grandfather’s nickname for me was ‘Pane Burro’ Corsican for bread and butter. Over the years, my choice of tartine toppings became more adventurous, and I never tire of trying new combinations and flavours- these days I prefer a generous slice of sourdough as the starting point of a good tartine lunch, especially seeded sourdough. Here is a lovely super simple seasonal recipe for this weekend!
Fig, Avocado, Cured Ham and Cream Cheese Tartine
4 to 6 slices of seeded sourdough
4 large figs sliced
3 perfectly ripe avocados sliced
Full fat cream cheese
6 slices of cured ham
Bitter leaves such as radicchio or endive
Green olives
Provençal herbs
Olive oil
Balsamic glaze
Toast the sourdough and allow to cool slightly before spreading with a generous layer of cream cheese.
Top with the figs, sliced ham, the avocado and olives. Season with a good pinch salt and pepper. Drizzle generously with olive oil and a little balsamic glaze and sprinkle with Provençal herbs.
Serve with a handful of bitter leaves just seasoned with sea salt and drizzled with olive oil.