3 French Rustic Tartines from my Childhood

Let’s go back to basics, with 3 French rustic tartines from my childhood that I would enjoy as an afternoon snack after school.

We’re right in the middle of back-to-school season, and I have a special thought for all kids who started school this week in France and in the United States. This brings me back to my own childhood memories. For me, the afternoon snack (we call it “goûter” in French) was one of the highlights of the day. It means the end of a busy day and the beginning of free time with indoor or outdoor activities.

Homemade afternoon snacks or goûters are common in France and I have sweet memories around these snacks, and especially those I would enjoy at my grandma’s from time to time. My grandma was of the rustic kind. She went through World War II when she was a kid, and this tells a lot about her personality and relationship to food. She was strong, determined, and when it comes to food, everything was homemade and nothing had to go to waste (we’d never know… war could come again).

My dear grand-mère Germaine passed away last year at the age of 97, leaving behind several generations: children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We were all there reunited when she passed away, and by talking to each other we realized that we all inherited her values to some extent. Now that our modern societies are well aware of the environmental issues and the need to return to consuming local, seasonal, and as much as possible homemade, it seems that my grandmother was actually far more visionary than “has been” as we thought she was when we were kids.

From farm to table (literally)

One more thing you need to know about my grandmother is that she was a farmer. Early in life, when she turned 17 and her dad had just passed away, she took over the farm together with her mother to support her family, giving up on the teaching career she was dreaming of. On the farm, everything was transformed, and there was enough to survive year-round. Among others, I remember her award-winning fruit pies, homemade jams with seasonal fruits, faisselle… and the toasts she prepared in a wood stove. Amazing smoky flavors!

She would then use these toasts to prepare some delicious sweet or savory tartines, and this is exactly what I will be sharing with you today. Because there are some recipes that we should pass from generation to generation, and these are definitely some of them.

Toasts versus tartines

The 3 tartine recipes I am sharing with you today used to be prepared with generous slices of bread previously toasted in a wood stove. My grand-mother would then remove the toasts from the stove and store them in the cabinets above the kitchen counter, that I used to climb onto so that I could grab a slice or two. And so did my cousins. Funny enough, we were far less interested in the lonely box of butter cookies she had than in this crispy toasted bread.

A few ways to make tartines:

• You can toast them
• You can use some fresh baguette
• Or you can go for some whole-wheat bread, for more rustic flavors

Here, I simply prepared my easy no-knead bread recipe (that you can find in 5 different versions: plain, multiseeds, whole-wheat, etc.). With absolutely no effort, the bread comes out beautifully every single time, and this is exactly what I love about it.

At last, here are the tartine recipes that my grand-mother used to prepare. It is possible that there were more than 3 versions, but these are the ones I remember the most (and liked the most).

Tartine with butter and dark chocolate shavings

This is such an easy one – and such a French one too! All you need is spread butter onto the tartine, and then shave some dark chocolate over, using a potato peeler. Sometimes, my grandma would simply sprinkle some cocoa powder on top instead. I loved both versions!

Note that you can use either salted or unsalted butter, depending on your own taste. When it comes to the chocolate, I would choose it dark rather than semi-sweet, but it’s up to you. If you go for cocoa powder however, try to use a sweetened kind, that will be much more appreciated by kids than unsweetened cocoa powder.

Tartine with faisselle and homemade jam

This tartine was one of my favorites – again, so basic, yet so good! Here, everything is homemade, from the bread to the jam and the faisselle. In reality, my grandmother would purchase the bread most of the time but stick to her own recipe when it was about the faisselle.

Let me tell you a few words about this wonderful faisselle… If you are not familiar with this kind of cheese, it is relatively close to ricotta cheese in terms of texture, although creamier. Also, you coud use one or the other if you were to make this tartine yourself. When it comes to the jam or marmelade, there were various options, from berries to cherries, but also plums and red currants.

To make this tartine, I would suggest you go for ricotta cheese directly and prepare homemade jam.

Tartine with faisselle, garlic and chives

I kept my very favorite for the end: the savory version! It’s actually funny when you think that I’m usually more on the sweet side, but this one…. it’s just the best! All you need is to mix the cheese with minced garlic, chives, and add some salt and pepper.

As for the previous tartine, you can go for ricotta cheese here, or let’s go even crazier and choose fresh goat cheese!

And there we are : 3 simple rustic tartines, quick to prepare with just a bunch of ingredients. Forget processed snacks and choose homemade instead. The result on the short and long term is priceless!

Thank you, grandma, for teaching me the art of good food!

3 French Rustic Tartines from my Childhood

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1-2 servings 1x
• Category: Other desserts
• Cuisine: French

Let’s go back to basics, with 3 French rustic tartines from my childhood that I used to enjoy as an afternoon snack after school.

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Ingredients

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Tartines with butter and dark chocolate shavings

• 2 slices of homemade no-knead bread or whole-wheat no-knead bread
• Unsalted or salted butter
• Dark chocolate

Tartines with faisselle and homemade jam

• 2 slices of homemade bread
• 2 Tablespoons plain faisselle or ricotta cheese
• Jam or marmelade (homemade, if possible): red currant, berries, plums, cherries, etc.

Tartines with faisselle, minced garlic and chives

• 2 slices of homemade bread
• 4 Tablespoons plain faisselle or ricotta cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Chives, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

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Instructions

Tartines with butter and dark chocolate shavings

1. Spread the butter onto the tartines.
2. Shave the dark chocolate on top of the tartines, using a potato peeler. It’s ready!

Tartines with faisselle and homemade jam

1. Spread the faisselle or ricotta in a thick, generous layer onto the tartines.
2. Add some jam of your choice, and it’s ready!

Tartines with faisselle, minced garlic and chives

1. In a bowl, mix together faisselle or ricotta cheese with minced garlic and chives. Add salt, freshly ground pepper, and taste to adjust seasoning as needed.
2. Spread the cheese over the tartines in a generous layer, and enjoy!

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