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Barefoot Contessa star Ina Garten has shared many memories from her travels over the years, but there’s one early trip to Europe with her husband Jeffrey Garten that is very special to her. Garten’s variety of tartine recipes, she says, are a reminder of that “amazing trip.”

Ina Garten during 'Seth Goes Day Drinking with Ina Garten' on Late Night With Seth Meyers
‘Barefoot Contessa’ Ina Garten on ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ | Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Ina Garten said that tartines are one of her favorite things

In Garten’s book Cooking for Jeffrey, she recalled the story of a memorable camping trip to France that was an eye-opening experience. She discovered that what she thought she knew about French food was wrong, as she believed it was complicated but it was actually “simple, seasonal food that was based on incredibly good ingredients.”

“In Paris I remember going crazy at Poilâne bakery on rue Cherche-Midi and the street market on boulevard Raspail,” she wrote in her cookbook.

“My tartine recipe, made with Poilâne bread, salty prosciutto, and ripe Camembert is one of my favorite things to order when we visit Poilâne today, and when I make it for us here at home, it reminds us both of that amazing trip, and of how extraordinary simple food can be when it’s made with really good ingredients,” she added.

Ina Garten’s tartine recipes are customizable

What is a tartine? A tartine is an open-faced sandwich that can have a spread, like jam or cheese or can be made with a variety of ingredients placed on top. They can be sweet or savory and made with whatever you have on hand. In short, tartines are an easy recipe to pull together for breakfast, lunch, a snack, or an appetizer.

The Barefoot Contessa star has a variety of French tartine recipes with different toppings. (The recipe can be found on The Food Network website.)

Camembert & Prosciutto Tartines

Ingredients

  • 6 to 12 (½-inch-thick) slices from a round rustic country bread, depending on the size of the loaf
  • 2 (8-ounce) Camembert cheeses, sliced
  • 12 to 15 thin slices Italian prosciutto
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Minced fresh chives, for serving

Preheat the broiler. Place the bread slices in a single layer on a sheet pan and put the cheese slices on the bread, followed by a layer of prosciutto, and a sprinkle of thyme, salt, and pepper.

With the oven rack 5 to 6 inches below the heat, place the sheet pan on the rack and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, turning the pan once so the tartines cook evenly. The prosciutto will be brown and crispy and the cheese bubbling. Cut the tartine into slices and sprinkle with chives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw7D-RLUu9c
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Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten’s Raspberry Baked French Toast Recipe Is the Perfect Christmas Breakfast

Arugula and Goat Cheese Tartine

Ingredients

  • 6 slices country white bread, crusts removed and toasted
  • 4 ounces goat cheese
  • 4 ounces baby arugula
  • 2 medium tomatoes, sliced

Lay the toast slices on a baking sheet and spread each with the goat cheese. Place the arugula and sliced tomato on top of the goat cheese, then broil for a few minutes and serve.

Garten also makes a tartine with smoked salmon and thin cucumber slices, placing the ingredients on pieces of toast and adding a squeeze of lemon and fresh pepper. (Check out The Food Network for the recipe.)

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