Tartinette au Roquefort et Poires Caramélisées
Tartinette au Roquefort et Poires Caramélisées·(tar-tee-net oh rohk-for ay pwar kah-rah-may-lee-zay)
Chapter 4 — The Cheese & Bread Course
If you’ve ever sat at the pewter bar at Pastis, you know a French bistro treats a sandwich with the same reverence as a roasted chicken. A true brasserie tartine is a calculated architecture of textures and temperatures, not just toast with hastily thrown toppings. We borrow a classic restaurant trick here: whipping authentic sheep’s milk Roquefort with cultured French butter and crème fraîche into a luxurious mousse, then letting it chill overnight. Piled onto butter-fried sourdough beneath hot, honey-caramelized Bosc pears and a jolt of Champagne vinegar, it delivers that exact, unmistakable Spring Street magic.
Before you start
Process the cheese, butter, crème fraîche, and black pepper into a smooth mousse.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the room-temperature Roquefort, softened cultured butter, crème fraîche, and pepper until the mixture is completely homogeneous, smooth, and pale blue-white.
Chill the mousse overnight.
Transfer this mousse to an airtight container and refrigerate. The chilling process allows the butterfat to set up again, giving you a firm but spreadable mousse that won't instantly melt off the hot bread.
Ingredients
- authentic Roquefort AOP4 oz
- cultured French butter2 oz
- crème fraîche2 oz
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- firm Bosc or D'Anjou pears2 med
- cultured French butter1 tbsp
- high-quality honey1 tbsp
- Champagne vinegar1 tbsp
- pain de campagne slices4 large
- cultured French butter2 tbsp
- walnut halves1/3 cup
- pink peppercorns1 tsp
- baby arugula1 cup
- toasted walnut oil1 tsp
- sea salt1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Fry the bread in cultured butter.
Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. When the foaming subsides, drop in the bread slices. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the underside is a deep, shattering mahogany. Remove the bread and wipe the skillet clean.
- 02
Sear the pears in a hot cast-iron skillet.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. When it foams, lay the pear slices in a single layer. Let them sit completely undisturbed for 2 full minutes so the cast iron can sear the fruit sugars.
- 03
Caramelize with honey and deglaze.
Flip the pears and drizzle the honey evenly over the fruit. Let them cook for 1 to 2 minutes until a sticky, deep amber glaze forms. Pull the skillet off the heat and immediately pour in the Champagne vinegar. Swirl the pan to coat the pears in this sweet-and-sour syrup.
- 04
Build the tartine on the fried side of the bread.
Working quickly, generously swoop about 2 tablespoons of the chilled mousse onto the fried side of each bread slice, spreading it edge to edge. Carefully overlap the warm, caramelized pears across the mousse and drizzle with the remaining pan syrup.
- 05
Garnish and serve immediately.
Toss the arugula with the walnut oil and a tiny pinch of salt. Top each tartine with a small nest of the dressed greens, a heavy handful of toasted walnuts, and a dusting of crushed pink peppercorns.
Notes
Do not substitute generic blue cheese.
Authentic Roquefort's specific sheep's milk sharpness and high moisture are mandatory to balance the rich butter and sweet pears.
Watch the honey closely.
If the pan gets too hot and the honey begins to smoke, employ the rescue protocol: pull the skillet off the heat immediately and hit it with the vinegar early to halt the cooking.