Pear, Parsnip, & Blue Cheese Tartines

These are such a delicious and easy appetizer or light meal. I paired these flavorful bites with some butternut squash soup (my favorite this time of year). They are decadent. They also feel kind of fancy, which I think is fun (Mark always says I'm also drawn to anything that sparkles - must make me feel fancy - like these tartines). Tartine: a French open-faced sandwich. Fancy, right?!

Pear, Parsnip, & Blue Cheese Tartines

1 baguette, sliced thinly along a diagonal*

1 pear

2 or 3 parsnips

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt & pepper

1 tablespoon sour cream or creme fraiche

*You can make this gluten-free by simply using a gluten-free baguette or gluten-free bread of your choice.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Shave the parsnips (they look like carrots, but they are white and don't taste like carrots at all) into very thin strips using a madolin slicer or vegetable peeler. (I just used a vegetable peeler because it meant I only needed to dirty one cutting utensil.) Rub the thin strips with the olive oil, place on a baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until starting to brown on the edges. Watch these carefully. If they are very thin, they'll burn easily. But making them thin also makes them crispy, so slice as thin as you can. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, spread a small amount of sour cream or creme fraiche on each little slice of baguette. Top with thinly sliced pear (I just used the vegetable peeler to slice thin strips of pear). Add a slice of blue cheese on top of the pear on each tartine. Place the tartines on a baking sheet and set oven to BROIL. Place the tartines in the oven and broil for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble. 

Remove the tartines from the oven and top with the crispy parsnip strips. Serve hot. Enjoy!

from FoodandWine.com