Kitchen Report

It’s getting really complicated around here. Our next storm is on the way and conversations at work are beginning to take on new levels of strategic intricacy:

“I’m planning on driving in after rush hour and get a snow pass for my car to leave it in the garage over night and then I’ll take the early train home because the snow storm is supposed to hit just as the evening rush hour begins. If I can’t make it in tomorrow on the train then I’ll have to work from home and hope the power doesn’t go out again.”

When you work for a news organization that doesn’t recognize “snow days,” surrendering to the weather is not an option. Ever. This is why I keep wading through blizzards wearing my ski goggles on my way to the train. (Strangely, whenever I wear my goggles walking down the sidewalk neighbors out shoveling always say hello to me and tell me what good idea I had to wear my goggles. These are people I don’t know. I’m not making this up. Try it sometime.)

So. Since we have no control over the complicated weather, this calls for simple food. Really, really simple food. Like blue cheese melted on sourdough toast, slabs of thick bacon, drizzled with honey, and sprinkled with cracked pepper. If you want to get fancy, you can brush each side of the sourdough bread with olive oil and broil it for 2 minutes a side in the oven. Or just toast it in your toaster. Whatever you want. Do I need to say more? No, I do not.

I found this recipe in “Harvest to Heat” by Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer. It is a wonderful cookbook that tells you where your food came from, how it was grown, and who loved it before it arrived on your plate. Their Blue Cheese Tartine (a fancy French word for open-faced sandwich) is the first recipe and says hello just the way it should.

Eat this quick, maybe twice, and then go get your ski goggles on and make some new friends.

Blue cheese and bacon tartine
From “Heat to Harvest” by Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer

Serves 4

4 large, rustic slices of sourdough bread
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 lb. blue cheese, crumbled
8 slices thick bacon, cooked until crisp
4 tablespoons wildflower honey
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Using a pastry brush, coat both sides of the sourdough bread with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and set under the broiler for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle cheese on bread and broil for an additional minute or until the cheese is melted. Arrange toasted bread slices on a platter and top with 2 pieces of bacon. Drizzle each slice with a tablespoon of honey and season with fresh pepper. Serve immediately!