I made this avocado tartine for our Sunday lunch this afternoon. I was amazed at how well I replicated this dish after eating it twice at Le Pain Quotidien — once in New York City and once in Washington D.C., especially because the menu vaguely read 3 things “chickpeas, cucumbers and spicy tahini.” Now obviously, that didn’t help. But I put together a few things and the final product was no different from the one at Le Pain Quotidien.
A tartine is basically an open-faced sandwich, generally slathered with a rich spread; in this case, creamed avocados. This dish is pretty bland but I still find it flavorful in its own way.
For the avocado spread:
1 – ripe avocado
3 – spring onions, only the green part
1 tbsp – olive oil
1 tbsp – sour cream
salt and lemon juice to taste
1) Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the fleshy bit.
2) Tip it into a blender along with the spring onions, olive oil, sour cream, salt and lemon juice.
3) Blend until it’s a smooth, spreadable paste. Chill it in the fridge while you prepare everything else.
For the spicy tahini:
2 tbsp – tahini
1 tbsp – chili olive oil
salt and lemon juice to taste
1) Mix it all together. Add in a few drops of water if it’s too thick.
6 slices – multigrain bread
1 can – chickpeas, drained and washed
1 handful – organic spring mix (baby lettuces, spinach, arugula, red swiss chard etc.)
chopped spring onions
slices of cantaloupe and cucumber
1) Toast the bread slices.
2) Slather with the avocado spread.
3) Top with the chickpeas.
4) Set the tartines on a plate with the mix greens, cantaloupe and cucumber slices.
5) Drizzle the spicy tahini all over and serve immediately.
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