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This lovely tartine is one for your finest produce. The sweetest, ripest cherry tomatoes are the ones to highlight here, eaten absolutely fresh, entirely uncooked. The gentle acid in the tomatoes is countered with a decadent puree and a helping of aromatic herb. This wicked-fast lunch (or breakfast or dinner) is summer eating at its simplest and arguably most satisfying.
Tomatoes may be the star, but the other bits of this recipe are no slouch, either. Treat yourself to a quality bread (pictured here is a sourdough), and smear our buttery white bean-pine nut puree on top before sprinkling on your herb of choice (dill pictured here), and putting down those irresistible tomatoes.
While most bean purees, like hummus, can work as a spread or a dip, note that this one is thick, salty, and rich, falling firmly into the spread category. It gets depth of flavor and salt from umeboshi plums (available at Three Rivers), but if you can't get your hands on them, try using one or two teaspoons of red miso paste. Add a little extra lemon juice, as desired.
And naturally, if you have a little extra time, throwing together a quick tart dough will get you an elegant dish ready for an attractive dinner at home or a low-stress entertaining option. (The above was snapped at a tomato-loving pal's house.)
Fresh Cherry Tomato Tartine with White Bean-Pignoli Puree
serves 1
2 thick slices sourdough (or other good-quality bread of choice), lightly toasted, if desired
2 generous TBSP White Bean-Pignoli Puree, recipe follows
finely chopped fresh herb, such as dill fronds or basil leaves
about 10 small-medium ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
Spread a generous tablespoon of puree on each slice of bread. Top with a sprinkle of herbs and arrange the cherry tomatoes on top.
White Bean-Pignoli Puree
yields about 3/4 cup
3/4 cup white beans (such as navy, Great Northern, or butter beans)
1/4 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
2 umeboshi plums, pitted
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
Puree all ingredients until smooth with an immersion blender.