Balsamic Blistered Sweet Pepper Tartines

**By Chadwick Boyd**
PHOTO BY SWEETLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

Calling Sweet Pepper Lovers! These Easy to Assemble Tartines Are Just for You.

Tartines sound and look quite sophisticated, but they are just fancy looking open-faced sandwiches. When put together well, they are show-stoppers for a picnic or dinner party…or in my case an easy, delicious lunch.

These tartines are like little paintings thanks to bright colored sweet mini peppers sitting atop a big schmear of garlicky goat cheese on toasted oat bread. The sweet peppers are found bagged in the produce department at the grocery store (I often buy them on my Costco run). They are blistered in hot olive oil and balsamic vinegar to mellow their raw taste and give them a bright, laquered looking shine with blackened edges. A generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper adds a distinct extra pop of flavor. Large, sweet basil leaves lighten up the heavier, tangy goat cheese and garlic, and give the tartines even more color to stand out on the plate.

Serve these tartines with cold, crisp sparkling wine or champagne or sauvignon blanc.

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Chadwick’s Checklist

What you need to know before you cook.

This recipe uses one 1½ pound bag of mini sweet peppers
Don't get the skillet too hot, the peppers will burn rather than cook
You can make the goat cheese spread a day in advance
Make sure you use fresh bread

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 7-10 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
¼ cup balsamic vinegar + more to finish
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, divided
24 mini sweet peppers, seeded and cut in half
6 slices of oat or whole grain bread
8 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
12-15 fresh basil leaves
Maldon or flake salt to taste

Directions

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high. Or, heat a grill pan on the stove top on medium-high.
Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high. Stir in 3 tablespoons of garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until soft. Add the peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Pour the balsamic over top and continue cooking 10-15 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the skin is blistered and slightly blackened.
While the peppers are cooking, Lightly brush the bread with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the slices on the grill or in the grill pan and toast each side until grill marks appear and the bread is slightly crisp. Remove from heat and place on a large cutting board or platter to assemble the tartines.
Place the goat cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons of garlic, and black pepper in a small bowl. Mix until smooth.
To assemble thetartines, spread the goat cheese on the slices of bread. Lay the basil leaves on top of each slice. Evenly arrange the peppers on the basil. Lightly drizzle with more balsamic vinegar. Finish with a few sprinkles of Maldon salt.
Serve immediately.
Note: These tartines can be cut into 1-2” pieces and served as hors d’oeuvres.