Smoked Salmon, Egg Salad & Asparagus Tartines

What is a tartine you ask?

A tartine is a little French open face sandwich, sort of like an crostini, but not always on toasted bread. They usually have a rich spread of some sort on it. The possibilities are endless.

Here is my favorite springtime tartine.

A great idea for Mother's Day brunch, these are always the first thing to go!



Tartine w/ Smoked Salmon, Egg Salad & Asparagus:

any type of good bread (whole grain is best), crusts trimmed, cut in half or quarters, depending on the size of the tartines you want
butter for the bread (optional)
hard boiled eggs
mayonnaise
capers or pickle relish (choose only one!)
good Scottish smoked salmon slices
asparagus tips only (save the stems for soup or quiche)

I am not including amounts, because I make about 20. Make as many as you need.
Figure 2 per person on a brunch buffet.

Start by making your egg salad. I mash the eggs with a potato masher and add a small amount of mayo, salt and pepper and a tablespoon of capers to make a caper mayonnaise.

Cut your asparagus tips on the bias and steam for a little less than 2 minutes (you can even do this in the microwave with a few tablespoons of water in a Pyrex dish), then slice them in half again with a sharp paring knife, so they lay on the egg salad flat.

Buy the best quality smoked salmon you can. It really makes a difference in the flavor. (I like the Scottish imported stuff that is presliced).

Lay out your bread halves or quarters and spread some butter on the tartines (you can skip this step, but it makes the salmon stay on the bread better).

Drape a piece of smoked salmon to fit over the bread and spread some egg salad over that. Top with a sliced asparagus tip.



Can be made 2 hours before, kept covered in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Enjoy!