CUCUMBER, GOAT CHEESE, AND CILANTRO TARTINE WITH LEMON VINAIGRETTE

WHAT A DIFFERENCE…

We are, dare I say, fully recovered from our round of illness(es). What a difference a week makes! Last week I genuinely thought I might not make it through… our neighbor said he thought he might have to come “Old Yeller” me. But, with help from my wonderful husband, some tentative fresh air with friends, and a quiet art project filled week, I slowly started to feel more and more like myself. I’m back in the kitchen cooking up an end-of-summer storm, raiding the garden for the last of the summer harvest, stocking up on chocolate chips for cookies, and planning all kinds of menus for the soon-to-be drizzly, dark evenings.

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Lulu is all energy and smiles again too, thank goodness. That poor girl had that terrible cold, a stomach virus, and was cutting five teeth all at once. Most of the teeth are most of the way through so she’s a lot more relaxed, much happier, and she’s got her appetite back. Since she’s a little pip, only weighing in at eighteen pounds, these stomach viruses (we’ve had three in the last six months!) are stressful. She’s also sleeping through the night again after we got off track a couple of months back. Needless to say, she and I are both much more chipper with uninterrupted sleep and full bellies.

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Since I spent the weekend before this past one laid up in bed, we spent this entire weekend out doing fun things. On Saturday morning we went for a fantastic little hike with the girls. We slathered on sunscreen and hopped in the car with snacks and water and coffee, and we spent the majority of the day counting caterpillars, throwing rocks into streams, and singing songs from Les Misérables (Gigi is obsessed with the story and music… she’s been introducing me as Jean Valjean to everyone for the past month).

On Sunday I spent the day with my best friend and some of her wonderful friends in Portland. They ran the Race for the Cure 5k, and we went to brunch and ran errands. Normally, going to Target and Ikea on a Sunday would sound pretty intimidating but without kids in tow it was actually pretty easy! While I was gone, Kyle took the girls out hiking again and out for a Daddy/Daughter lunch. It was nice for me to have a little break but I sure would have loved to witness the morning he had with them.

With our busyness this weekend we stuck to simple foods: barbecued chicken, grilled peppers, sautéed spinach, grilled steaks, and soup. During this week and the last I’ve entered back into my tartine habit for lunches. They’re just so easy and filling and versatile! I’m trying to utilizing what vegetables are still growing in the garden. Mostly what we have going strong at the moment are cucumbers, and tomatoes. I can feel the weather is about to make a serious commitment to rain and lower temperatures so I’m making the most out of this last gasp of summer in the garden.

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This tartine is a spin on an amazing salad we had once at Cinq Mars in Paris, and that we spent the remainder or our trip trying to duplicate with cucumber, cilantro, and goat cheese we bought at the markets on Rue Cler. This tartine is decidedly summery with it’s crisp cucumber, bold cilantro, and bright lemon vinaigrette, but it would be fantastic any time of year. I’m positive I’ll be making this all autumn long.

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CUCUMBER, GOAT CHEESE, AND CILANTRO TARTINE WITH LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients.
4 slices of French bread, toasted
4oz goat cheese or chèvre
1 cucumber, shaved into thin ribbons
1 handful fresh cilantro, washed and very finely minced
1/2 lemon
, juiced
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
Maldon, or flaky, salt

Directions.
In a small bowl whisk together the juice from one lemon with an equal amount of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, mix together the goat cheese and cilantro. Smear each toast with lots of the cheese, top with ribbons of cucumber, drizzle with plenty of dressing, and finish with a bit of salt and pepper, and lemon zest.

Serves 2.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
CUCUMBER, GOAT CHEESE, AND CILANTRO TARTINE WITH LEMON VINAIGRETTE