Buffalo Mozzarella Tartine By Alain Coumont

We ask the city’s home chefs, bartenders, food bloggers and gourmands to share their favourite recipes. This week, Alain Coumont, the chef and founder of the Belgian bakery chain Le Pain Quotidien, tells us how to prepare a buffalo mozzarella tartine.

INGREDIENTS FOR TARTINE
• A slice of wheat bread
• 5 grams butter
• 10 grams black olive tapenade (see below for recipe)
• 60 grams tomato slices
• 100 grams sliced buffalo mozzarella
• 5 grams arugula
• 10 grams basil pesto (see below for recipe)
• 3 slices each of cucumber and red radish
• 10 grams mesclun
• A dill sprig to garnish

INGREDIENTS FOR OLIVE TAPENADE
• 100 grams pitted black olives
• 10 grams garlic
• 50ml olive oil

METHOD FOR OLIVE TAPENADE
• Blend all the ingredients together until it turns to a paste. If you prefer a coarse texture, finely chop the olives and garlic and mix in the olive oil.

INGREDIENTS FOR PESTO SAUCE
• 100 grams basil
• 200ml olive oil
• 10 grams salt

METHOD FOR PESTO SAUCE
• Blanch the basil leaves and then blend all ingredients together.

METHOD FOR TARTINE
• Toast the wheat bread. Apply butter and tapenade over the toasted slice.
• Place the tomato and mozzarella slices and arugula leaves in alternating layers over the bread.
• Bake the tartine until the cheese starts to melt. Then cut into three pieces.
• Place the tartine on a plate and drizzle with basil pesto.
• Place the cucumber and radish slices over the pesto and serve mesclun with dill as a side salad.