Eggplant and Ginger Tartines | Everyday Dorie

My education on tartines starts with Chad Robertson’s Tartine Bread. I’ve spent years learning and making the kind of sourdough breads sold at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. Over the last decade, I’ve repeatedly made variations of the bread according to the recipe, loaves after loaves. It begs the question: what do you do with days-old bread? Fortunately, a good portion of the book addresses this topic — beautifully and exhaustively. Panzanella, bruschetta, bánh-mì. There are vastly more uses for bread other than sandwiches and toasts. Deck the bread with your favorite protein (ham, cheese or smoked salmon). Or alternatively, make a vegetable dip and make an eggplant and ginger tartines, as Dorie suggests.

Tartines are fancy open-faced sandwiches often adorned with rich and elaborate toppings, such as avocado and baba ganoush. The eggplant spread component of the Dorie’s eggplant and ginger tartines is similar to the typical baba ganoush. The spread has more or less the same ingredients: eggplant, tahini, cilantro, Aleppo chili, lemon juice. (This is my goto baba ganoush recipe; see picture below.) Dorie puts a slight twist to the traditional cast by adding pomegranate molasses, fresh ginger and sumac.

I’m more than happy to reach for these lesser-used ingredients which I have on hand to make the eggplant spread. They bring lightness and brightness to the mix. The fresh ginger, coarsely chopped, are front and center as you bite into the tartine. You can clearly taste the ginger when the spread is freshly made and tends to get stronger over time. It has an unmistaken kick that wakes up the taste buds—in a good way.

What also make sense are the garnishes: pear, radishes, pomegranate seeds and arugula. At first, I was questioning: isn’t it getting a little fussy since it’s already chock full of so many amazing ingredients? But the sweetness of the pear, the crunch of the radishes, the brightness of the pomegranate seeds, the bitterness of arugula hatch a remarkable balance making the eggplant and ginger tartines a real standout.

Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson