Steal This Recipe® | Poulet Roti Tartine

Tartinery, NYC

Tartinery, NYC
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the most delicious; that is the case with this roast chicken and fennel open-faced sandwich recipe, stolen with permission from Chef Jean-Louis Dumonet. Tartinery, located in Manhattan’s hip Nolita district (north of Little Italy), is unusual, not only because of the ficus tree that’s planted in the ground of its dining room and grows through the middle of an eight-seat square table and into the expanse of the double-height ceiling; or the use of the reclaimed wood from an old Tribeca building, which is the base for the floors, ceilings and an open stairway; or even the black metal grid that encloses the large exposed brick wall, giving an edge to the pared-down decor. It is the menu and the simply delicious food that’s on offer at Tartinery that really makes it unique.

French-owned, Tartinery is an authentic gastronomic experience, with wines from one of the owners’ family vineyard and Poilane, the most famed bread in Paris, which is not carried anywhere else in the city, and is baked by their mutual childhood friend.

The star of the show is the tartine for which the place is named, a traditional meal baked onto thin, rustic bread. It comes in limitless permutations here as it does in France - like the Foie Gras Tartine, which generously piles on pieces of homemade, cognac-infused foie gras with fig jam and a dash of sea salt, and the Ratatouille Tartine, a delicate layering of eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, tomato, parsley and basil. Even dessert gets the tartine treatment with choices like the Choco, laden with grated dark chocolate and melted sea salt butter, or the Nutelle Banane, covered … you guessed it … in Nutella and bananas. Not solely tartines, however, the menu also features such French classics as Steak Tartare, Paillard and homemade Tarte Tatin.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the day begins with an assortment of croissants, fresh baguette with butter, Poilane bread with jam and La Colombe coffee - you can experience the simple delight of a French café breakfast at its best. For lunch, petite tartines are served with fresh soup of the day, sometimes vichysoisse or bouillon de poulet, and dessert, as a value-minded prix-fixe option.

At lunch, it’s the first-floor bar area that shines most, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and chalkboard walls featuring daily menu specials and a fresh juice bar churning away. At dinner, the action moves downstairs, to the dining room - and the tree. If you are in Nolita, you have to check out Tartinery!

About the chef: Tartinery’s menu was coordinated by Consultant Chef Jean-Louis Dumonet, whose culinary background spans decades. After training at the Ecole Hoteliere de Paris Jean Drouant, he went on to open his own Restaurant Jean-Louis Dumonet in Châteauroux, France, before venturing across the Atlantic to open Trois Jean in Manhattan in 1992.

His extensive career in New York has also seen him as Executive Chef at The Carlyle Hotel, before acting as Corporate Executive Chef for Saks Fifth Avenue. He is also the owner of Chef JLD Consulting LLC and is the General Delegate of the MCF (Maitres Cuisiniers de France) in North America.

Please note: This recipe includes the ingredients for homemade mayonnaise using a raw egg yolk. Homemade mayonnaise should be stored in the fridge and used within one day. If you have food safety concerns (for infants, the elderly or if you are pregnant or nursing), please use a pasteurized egg substitute, or use an eggless mayonnaise recipe instead.

Tartinery 
209 Mulberry Street 
New York, NY 10012
212 300 5838

Poulet Roti Tartine is served at Tartinery for $13.

This recipe makes 4 restaurant servings.

Poulet Roti Tartine Ingredients:
4 thin slices of country bread (preferably sourdough) 
1 farm chicken
1 fennel (bulb & fronds) 
2 fresh lemons
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
Olive oil

Homemade Mayonnaise Ingredients:
1 large egg yolk
½ fresh lemon
½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard
¾ cup of vegetable oil
Fresh chives
Salt & pepper

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions for the Poulet:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
Stuff the chicken with one fresh lemon, thyme and rosemary, and rub the skin with the olive oil. Pour the juice of the second lemon over the chicken and season it with salt and pepper.
Cook in preheated oven for 70 minutes. Turn the chicken over after 40 minutes.
After the chicken is cooked, cover it with aluminum foil and leave it to rest for a few minutes. During that time, prepare the mayonnaise and the fennel garnish.

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions for the Mayonnaise: 
Whisk the egg yolk in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Add the lemon juice and mustard; blend well. 
Then, add the oil drop by drop. This will take a few minutes. Don’t rush it or the mayonnaise may break, meaning the oil will separate from the egg. Once you’ve added the oil, add the finely chopped chives and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions for Plating:
Shave the fennel very thinly and season it with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Now the chicken is ready to be shredded by hand. Take all the juicy meat and put it in a bowl.
Gently toast the bread, spread some mayonnaise on it and place the shredded chicken on top. 
Top with the seasoned shaved fennel and you’re ready to eat.

Bon appétit!