TBT Recipe: Corn, Jalapeño and Goat Cheese Tartine from Le Pain Quotidien

I first posted this six years ago, when the first Le Pain Quotidien stores began to appear in New York City. Now, there are many more of them and they are a welcome stop. A “tartine” used to be a rarity but now they are common and as wonderful as ever. If you are a fan of jalapeno poppers, here’s the tartine version, complete with fresh corn kernels. Surely now is the time to enjoy the heat of jalapenos and the sweetness that summer heat has put into our corn.

There is a new cookbook about to hit the stores: Le Pain Quotidien by Alain Coumont and Jean-Pierre Gabriel. If you know about the Le Pain Quotidien stores [restaurant, bistro, coffee shop all in one], then your curiosity is already stirring. If you never had the pleasure of dining at the long communal table that is emblematic of each Pain Quotidien site, then here is a recipe to stir your imagination.

In a nutshell, a corn cream — accented with lime zest and jalapeno — is spread over bread. Goat cheese is dotted on top, and the concoction is placed under the broiler to let the cheese melt down and mingle with the cream. It’s very satisfying. Personally, I doubled the amount of corn, cut right off the cob. It is a meal unto itself.

Tomorrow I’ll review the book in general, giving you more recipe ideas. Since “pain quotidian” roughly translates to “daily bread” there are a bevy of bread-based recipes. But, as this one shows, you can have magnificent style and a most satisfying meal by topping that bread with some basic treats.

Although this recipe says it serves 2, the recipe can be easily scaled. The bread slices can be cut once they are out of the oven and you can use this as a dandy warm appetizer. Make lots. People are going to gobble it down.

Corn, Jalapeño and Goat Cheese Tartine

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the salsa:

1 tomato, diced
½ onion, finely chopped
½ garlic clove crushed
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime

For the tartine:

1 slice smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 tablespoons cream fraiche
½ garlic clove crushed
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
Grated rind of ½ lime
½ cup corn, canned or fresh [about ½ cob]
2 slices of sourdough bread, medium thickness, fairly wide
2 ½ ounces of young, soft goat cheese [or feta], sliced
Cilantro leaves for decoration, optional

Preparation:

Preheat your oven broiler.

Make the salsa by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and mixing.

In a small saucepan, combine the bacon, crème fraiche, garlic, jalapeno and lime rind with 1 tablespoon of water. Place over low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 1 minute, then add the corn. Remove from the hat.

Spread the corn cream onto the bread. Divide the goat cheese between the two tartines. Then place them under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is just beginning to melt. Removed from the boiler. Serve immediately with the salsa on the side.

If you desire you can dot the tartines with cilantro leaves for color, contrast, and flavor. To make them easier to eat, you can cut each one into 3-4 slices.