Estate Comforts
Dainty Egg Salad Tartines with Sliced Radishes, Basil and Watercress
The Strategy:
Pulsing hard-cooked eggs in a food processor is a quick way to achieve a light, uniform texture for this delicate egg salad. Folding in sour cream, green onions, and a touch of honey creates a creamy dressing with a perfect hint of sweetness. Mound the mixture over fresh bread lined with peppery watercress and top with crisp radishes for a gorgeous open-faced sandwich.
Ingredients
Egg Salad
- 8 large eggs, hardboiled, peeled
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 green onions, white part only, minced, about 2 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons pale green inner leaves of celery, chopped
- 1 small shallot, peeled and minced, about 1 tablespoon
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
Tartines
- 8 (1-inch thick) slices artisanal whole grain bread
- 1 cup watercress leaves
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
- 4 large radishes, thinly sliced
Instructions
Egg Salad
- Place the eggs into the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse to finely chop.
- Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Fold in the mayonnaise, sour cream, green onions, celery leaves, shallot, mustard and honey. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Tartines
- Lay the bread onto your work surface.
- Mound the watercress onto the bread.
- Top with egg salad.
- Top the egg salad with basil leaves and radish slices.
- Cut each in half diagonally.
- Sprinkle a bit of additional salt over the radishes.
The Heart of the Table
These dainty tartines bring a fresh, springtime elegance to the breakfast or brunch table. Decorated with colorful radishes and bright green basil, they look as lovely as a garden party and fill the room with a sense of light, cheerful hospitality.
The Art of the Host
- unbleached, pre-cut parchment paper sheets for clean releases
- a mouth-blown glass dressing cruet with a hand-ground glass stopper
- a hand-cut glass mixing pitcher with a diamond-cut pattern
- a sleek, solid brass Japanese double jigger with inner measurement lines
- a seamless, high-heat resistant silicone spatula in a soft slate grey
Neighborly Grace
- THE PRESENTATION: Serve the tartines cut in half diagonally on a vintage silver platter, with extra radish slices and fresh basil leaves scattered around the board.
- THE POUR: A crisp, chilled Grüner Veltliner or an artisanal elderflower-cucumber pressé with fresh mint.
- THE VIBE: Morning Sunroom. The morning sun reflects off crystal glasses as everyone enjoys the fresh, delicate sandwiches in a peaceful setting.