Friday, July 26, 2013

FFwD: Dieter´s Tartine or "This is how Happiness tastes" - "So schmeckt Glück"


This week´s recipe for the French Friday with Dorie group is Dieter´s Tartine.




Well, who is “Dieter”, is it a close friend of Dorie´s or a famous French Bistro that I just never heard of – when I read “Dieter”, of course, I just assume it is a  name. What else. After all, some of  the most interesting compatriots of mine carry that very first name. There is the three-star chef extraordinaire Dieter Müller who will be cooking at the equally famous Four Seasons Hotel in Munich starting in 2014. There are the famous comedians Dieter Nuhr and Dieter Hildebrandt. There are many politicians with Dieter as their first name. And TV personalities Dieter Bohlen und Dieter Thomas Heck. And former Cologne soccer legend Dieter Müller. To name but a few. So, why should this title mean anything else but Dieter?!




It turns out, it does mean something else, it has something to do with a “diet” or why French ladies stay slim. Ah, I always learn something new while blogging and this little mix-up was the cause for some roaring laughter at our house.




After the little misinterpretation of the title of  Dorie´recipe was out of the way, it was time to enjoy the famous “dieter´s tartine”. This is an open-faced sandwich with country bread (not too difficult to find in this country of relentless bread devotees). I chose a wonderful rustic loaf called "Opa Josef" or "Grandpa Josef" - there goes that name thing again. This bread is from my favorite bakery around here.

The recipe also calls for nonfat cottage cheese and sour cream (in my case that was goat cheese from my very favorite regional goat cheese manufacturer – not low fat - there goes “dieter” as well as “Dieter”). Plus some cubed mini cukes and yellow and red cherry tomatoes and a bit of fresh lavender.




The kids enjoyed this non-recipe sandwich but that did not come as any surprise because we eat a lot of very similar sandwiches in this country.




I opted for the lavender instead of the optional Herbes de Provence as called for in the recipe - while I love cooking with them, I do not really like those herbs on my sandwiches. Traditionally lavender is not part of the Herbes de Provence mix which consists of  savory, fennel, basil and thyme. I skipped the salt because the fabulous goat cheese that I used is already perfectly salted and I also skipped the freshly ground pepper because I accidently left the pepper mill at home.




All in all, a fun French Friday, a minimalistic recipe, a very hot day at the lake in the area (where the Federal Horticultural Show took place many years ago), happy taste testers and a "Big Thank You! - Ganz lieben Dank! to the lovely folks at the “Kunst!Rasen Bonn Gronau”  who patiently endured the photo session while they were readying the outdoor restaurant for business that day!

To see what my fellow Doristas thought about “Dieter” or “dieter”, do click here.


“This is how Happiness tastes like! ” – “So schmeckt Glück!”




55 comments:

  1. I never thought of Dieter as a name...but you're not the only one who thought this! Beautifully done, my friend.

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    1. Liz, how very silly of me - but I thought I remembered Dorie mentioning some German friends before or were they from Alsace...I think my family is still smirking! Serves me right for dragging them along on each and every outside food session and making them them wait for their food "every single time" until pictures are taken.

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  2. Gorgeous, Andrea! I would not have thought Dieter to be a name either. Made me chuckle. Here in the States, everyone seems to be on some kind of diet or another. Have a fabulous weekend!

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    1. Cathleen, you are very kind my dear. And chuckle you shall to your heart´s content because this was funny indeed!

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  3. I think goat cheese makes this simple tartine wonderful. Lovely presentation Andrea! I many thought Dieter was a person...!

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  4. Lovely, and I like that things can get lost in translation like that. Dieter isn't a common name in the states, so I was SO confused for the first bit, hah.

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    1. Ashley, thank youu - I fear everyone is confused now - sorry about that - my kids will tease me with this until kingdom come, I am sure!

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  5. What an absolutely honest mistake! And goat cheese would be wonderful for this tartine... but then again, you could just about put anything on lovely bread like that and it will be wonderful, right?

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    1. Tammy, you are absolutely right, anything on a loaf of this "Grandpa Josef" bread is fabulous - we are so very spoiled when it comes to bread around here.

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  6. Your tartines look lovely and goat cheese sure sounds good !

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    1. Thank you very much, goat cheese is our very favorite cheese and when it comes from our favorite local cheese maker, like the one I used for this tartine, it is even better.

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  7. Andrea, I may go back to the original name for this recipe and capitalize the "D". Dieter's Tartine. The fun would be that we each could pick our favorite "Dieter" and decide that the recipe is named after him. Goat cheese is a great idea. Since I didn't use non-fat sour cream or non-fat cottage cheese to make my spread, this wasn't really a low-calorie open-faced sandwich at my house. I just cannot do non-fat - I'd rather run around the block a few extra times. I know you must be inventing ways to keep your girls cool and content during this hot siege/school vacation time in German. I am glad the scoop arrived just in time. Loved the pix of your young ladies - am using it as a screen saver for awhile. That cute little Imken just makes me smile.

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    1. Mary, ah the lovely name "Dieter", actually it is a terrific idea that we both just pick our favorite "Dieter" - in my case that would doubtlessly be that extraordinarily talented "Über Chef" named Dieter Müller (although I doub that he would serve this at his three star restaurant). I am so glad that you enjoyed the pictures, we are in the midst of this somewhat exhausting heat wave and we are trying to make the best of this hot weather and indulged in some lovely ice cream today!

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  8. Your tartines turned out lovely, and that loaf of bread looks delicious. I can see eating that with butter, bread is my downfall.
    Using goat cheese on this was a great idea too. Have a great weekend.

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    1. Nana, yes, this bread is very tempting no matter whether we enjoy it with goat cheese or cold cuts or just butter. So many varieties of bread around here, it is always hard to settle on just one. Thanks for the lovely comment!

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  9. I will take Dieter over dieter any day! You've adapted this perfectly for a picnic. Goat cheese is both more sumptuous and less messy than cottage cheese.

    Have a lovely weekend!

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    1. Teresa, absolutely, let´s hear it for Dieter - goat cheese is my favorite cheese and especially in summertime it is easily adaptable to wonderfuö veggie laden sandwiches.

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  10. LOL - I hereby dub this sandwich "Dieter". We have an actor in Australia whose first name is Dieter, but I never thought of him when I made this. Your photos as always look wonderful - and wasn't this just a lovely, tasty no-fuss way to have some fresh veges on bread.

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    1. It was indeed a wonderful no-fuss recipe and, honestly, I was quite grateful for it (heatwave and summer holidays).

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  11. Your assumption about Dieter makes sense. Looks like perfect picnic food. I made this with goat cheese also, which I love. I particularly like the wrapper on the Opa Josef bread, with his picture. Delightful! I hope you had a wonderful picnic adventure. This sandwich with all the fresh vegetables looks so colorful! Happy weekend!

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    1. Betsy, I just returned from a visit to a wonderful goat cheese manufacturer - you would have loved it there, I am sure. And, yes, that bread, actaully I had to bribe the salesperson at the bakery because she did not want to part with the nice paper wrapper.

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  12. Simple things are often the best things! This is perfect no-fuss recipe for these hot days :) Love it! Great post Andrea as always!!
    xox and a wonderful weekend
    Amy

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    1. Amy, simple is often best and so was this lovely and summery tartine - thanks for the comment and have a wonderful weekend as well!

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  13. Creative. Gorgeously presented outdoors.

    I truly love clicking into your universe, Andrea. Xx

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    1. Kim, you are so very kind! Thank you - it is wonderful that you enjoy your visits here.

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  14. These are gorgeous tartine and I love the freshness on them. Oh my, you have the nicest background/outdoor place to enjoy these little sandwiches. :)

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    1. Amy, nice and fresh ingredients - summer calls for easy food (especially when it is as hot as it has been for a while now). And yes that lake is lovely, it is situated in an area where the Federal Horticultural Show took place a few years back. Love going there with the kids.

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  15. This is the best thing to eat for dinner on a hot summer night.
    I have heard the name Dieter. It cracks me up, cute name.

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    1. Colette, you are the best - thanks for laughing with me not at me!!!

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  16. I so enjoyed your story about the name- it was funny and I chuckled with you and your family. I would have loved to have played a prank with my own guys and told them that I had it confused and instead pronounce it differently- as the name is. Unfortunately cottage cheese in the states has gotten a reputation as being a long known "diet food", so I am not sure they would buy it. It is ironic since I am not sure what diet any more actually encourages eating cottage cheese but I can attest to growing up in the 70's and early 80's and always finding a "diet plate" on a restaurant menu that consisted of cottage cheese with lettuce, tomato and very little else. And no, I don't believe I EVER ordered it :) Love the lake shots !!!

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    1. Tricia, you are so thoughtful - cottage cheese is delicious but we do not really like eating it on our sandwiches - sometimes I eat it with some fruit but not as "diet" food. We kind of prefer delicous local goat´s cheese on our rustic bread, it is simply fabulous and has a certain tang that is great with some diced veggies such as cukes and tomatoes.

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  17. PS- I am so silly that I did not realize you put the translation of your chair's phrase right next to it ! I actually google translated the phrase because I knew it had to be lovely. I was right, if not obscure for missing it in the first place - how funny :) Also wanted to tell you I enjoyed the link to the bakery. I was chuckling because they have a special on something called "Kentucky cakes" that look like an amazing sandwich. Granted I am not from Kentucky but I have a feeling I would have a tough time finding them there - I think I need to get to Germany next .........

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    1. Tricia, you are not silly you are extremly kind to be taking the time to visit again and let me know about that German phrase on the red folding chair! Thanks so much - and I think we should just have a FFwD meeting in Germany (that would be easier for me, of course) - seriously, a visit to good old Germany is always worthwhile.

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  18. Since I don't know any Dieters I didn't have your experience but I loved your story about it! Your tartine looks delicious and I love all your pictures. The perfect food for by the lake. I LOVE your chair and the saying on it!

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    1. Guyla, that folding chair is quite the eye catcher and it was just the perfect "accessory" to Dieter´s tartine that day!

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  19. Ooooh so colourful! I always enjoy looking at your pictures. The ingredients you use always shine through!

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    1. Karen, so nice of you to point out that you like the way the ingredients "always shine through" in my pictures. I am trying to "style" the pictures as natural as possible and am happy to read that I am not the only one who enjoys this. Thank you!

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  20. Very amazing semantic mistake... but so easy to make especially because she wrote Dieter as a possessive: Dieter's, so you can easily assume it was persons tartine. I love the setting of your photos... what a beautiful background.

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    1. Diane, wll, we all make mistakes and since English is not my mother tongue, I am certain more prone to making them than the rest of the FFwD group - but it was a fun mistake and it still makes me smile - besides this open-faced sandwich now has a new name at our house!

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  21. Lavender sounds so interesting. I love the smell, but I've never tasted it...Great story about the "Dieter" confusion. Too funny.

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    1. Jora, thanks so much - if you plan on eating some lavender flowers, just make sure to use the "edible kind" and organic if possible - there is edible lavender and the one used for decorative purposes only. Lavener adds an interesting taste - not for everyday sandwiches maybe but certainly once in a while. And do use sparringly, otherwise it will overpower everything else.

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  22. How beautiful! My spouses dentist is named Dieter so I also thought it was a person at first - and what diets include bread these days? What a tranquil and serene setting to enjoy this by.

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    1. Christy, ah, "what´s in a name..." - seriously, this is s delicioua and fresh open-faced sandwich, ideal for serving in suumertime and maybe not your ordinary diet food.

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  23. So colorful and beautiful!!! bet there were so light and delicious!

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    1. Thanks so much - food that is served at this time of year should be nothing but light and fresh - it is hot around here these days!

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  24. Great post Andrea:) I would have gone for the goats cheese option rather than the dieters low fat cottage cheese as well! Also I am very intrigued by the addition of lavender, I have never been tempted to try it before but it sounds interesting.

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    1. Karen, goat cheese is pretty popular with the kids and the other taste testers. The lavender is to be used rather sparingly and you should definitely make sure to use the variety of lavender that is for consumption not decoration - try to get organic if possible.

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  25. Cute post & beautiful setting. Everything looks so fresh and vibrant.

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    1. Cher, thanks so much - fresh and vibrant seems to be an easy task these days - the markets are overflowing with fresh veggies these days.

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  26. Andrea - I laughed out loud when I started reading because I was wondering who Dieter was, as well! Great minds think alike, yes? Oh, and when I looked at your bread - and the bread from your favorite bakery - it made me miss how good bread is in Europe, especially in Germany. Sigh...

    Your tartines look so delicious and I (naturlich) love that you used lavender in them. And, as always, you have the best props and photos! Just love looking at your posts! ~ David

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    1. David, most definitely do great minds think alike! How fun that we had the same association! And, yes, those unforgiving Germans and their beloved million varities of bread - seriously, I appreciate the different kinds we can find here and whenever I was abroad, that is the first thing that I honestly missed!

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  27. I’m definitely going to make these and take all your notes into account

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    1. If you do get a chance to make tartines you will not regret using this "non recipe" that let´s you be creative.

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  28. The perfect title for this post, Andrea. I'm sure everyone was happy with your delicious sandwiches besides the lake. Germany has the best breads...I can imagine how good your sandwich was.

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