Tartines: Easy appetizers to entertain in a pinch

tartineTartine is the fancy term for a French open-faced sandwich traditionally topped with spreads and other ingredients, including fresh produce, meat, smoked salmon and cheeses.

But don’t let the name fool you, making a tartine is as simple as purchasing your go-to rustic bread, slicing it, and brushing it with olive oil before lightly toasting the slices and topping them with your favourite ingredients.

What’s great about tartines is they make for a casual, yet satisfying, lunch. And with the use of bite-sized baguette slices, or any other bread of your choice, they’re also simple appetizers to serve to guests.

Plus, you can easily swap out animal protein for dairy-free and vegan versions of the snack to appeal to all your guests’ dietary restrictions. The below recipes take advantage of seasonal ingredients, and are quick to prepare when you need to entertain in a pinch:

Radish and chive

Spread the tartines with your choice of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese  flavours, including Herbs & Chives, French Onion or Garlic & Herb. Top with ultra-thin slices of radish prepared using a mandoline. Place the radish on the toasts and sprinkle with fresh chives, salt and pepper.

Avocado and cheese

Avocado boasts a creamy and buttery richness, while also offering healthy fats to be nutritionally superior to dairy. Toast your tartines with your favourite Tofutti Soy Cheese Slices until melted. Top them with slices of avocado, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt, freshly-ground pepper, cumin and lemon zest to taste.

Ripe fig and honey

A great brunch appetizer, or sweet afternoon snack, spread plain Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese on your tartines and top with fresh fig slices, chopped toasted hazelnuts and a drizzle of honey. To make the dish vegan, simply substitute honey with agave syrup. Bon Appétit!