Workshop Tartine with Platte Kaas and Radishes
A thick slice of wheat bread spread with whipped fresh cheese (platte kaas), topped with crunchy radishes, chives, and a pinch of salt. The classic Belgian snack that you eat with one hand while inking with the other.
A thick slice of wheat bread spread with whipped fresh cheese (platte kaas), topped with crunchy radishes, chives, and a pinch of salt. The classic Belgian snack that you eat with one hand while inking with the other.
You see, when I start a board early in the morning, I don't have time to fuss. I beat my platte kaas with a fork, spread it thick on a slice of wheat bread, crush a few radishes on top, a bit of chives from the balcony, and hop — I eat it with one hand, steaming coffee next to me, pen in the other. My grandmother did the same, except she did it before going to market, not to draw comics. Believe me, nothing fills you up better to spend three hours without looking up from the Bristol paper.
- •Wheat bread — 1 thick slice (base)
- •Platte kaas (whipped fresh cheese) — a good spoonful (creamy topping)
- •Radishes — a few (crunch and bite)
- •Chives — a pinch (freshness)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Workshop Tartine with Platte Kaas and Radishes
A thick slice of wheat bread spread with whipped fresh cheese (platte kaas), topped with crunchy radishes, chives, and a pinch of salt. The classic Belgian snack that you eat with one hand while inking with the other.
Why this dish? Adam Devreux spends his mornings hunched over his light table. Like so many Brussels authors, his breakfast is a thick slice of wheat bread and strong coffee — enough to keep going until noon without leaving the drawing board.
You see, when I start a board early in the morning, I don't have time to fuss. I beat my platte kaas with a fork, spread it thick on a slice of wheat bread, crush a few radishes on top, a bit of chives from the balcony, and hop — I eat it with one hand, steaming coffee next to me, pen in the other. My grandmother did the same, except she did it before going to market, not to draw comics. Believe me, nothing fills you up better to spend three hours without looking up from the Bristol paper.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat bread — 1 thick slice (base)
- Platte kaas (whipped fresh cheese) — a good spoonful (creamy topping)
- Radishes — a few (crunch and bite)
- Chives — a pinch (freshness)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Country wheat bread — 1 thick slice (~80 g) (base)
- Thick fresh cheese or platte kaas — 3 tbsp (creamy topping)
- Red radishes — 4 to 5 (crunch and bite)
- Chopped chives — 1 tbsp (freshness)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Beat the fresh cheese with a fork with a pinch of salt to aerate.
- Spread generously on the bread slice.
- Slice the radishes thinly and arrange on the cheese.
- Sprinkle with chives, grind some pepper.
- Eat immediately, ideally with a strong black coffee.
How it was made : Platte kaas (maquée in Walloon) is a traditional fresh cheese from Belgian farms, eaten on bread for generations. The tartine — boterham in Flemish — is the cornerstone of the light Belgian meal, much more than a sandwich.
The contemporary twist : For a workshop touch: a drizzle of linseed oil and a pinch of poppy seeds, and serve the tartine on a clean drawing board as a nod.
Adam · Charactorium
