Heading home last weekend, I wanted to bring a surprise particularly Paris and completely unexpected to share with my family the short time I was with them in the States. It was while pondering over the perfection of Fauchon’s confiture de lait spread across a slice of bread, that I realized my family might also be delighted to try the original 4 pound loaf of Poilâne bread from one of Paris’ most internationally recognized boulangeries.

The night before my flight, I meandered through the Marais to Poilâne’s newest location after deciding to discover what the twenty-something owner and CEO Apollonia Poilâne was doing to transform this Parisian tradition into a modern commodity. The little Cuisine de Bar on the narrow Rue Debelleyme is her latest innovation inviting customers to enjoy finger foods prepared fresh – and the perfect destination for a Parisian sit-down lunch on a rainy day. Not many boulangeries in Paris can offer that!

While I had seen pictures of the loafs before, nothing could really prepare me for their size. These loaves are a force to be reckoned with! Luckily, you can buy a portion of a loaf or even just a few slices. But I couldn’t just bring home half a loaf! As I carried the dense, heavy loaf up my five flights of stairs, I knew my family would be so surprised to see this emerge from my suitcase… not to mention TSA! And I couldn’t help but laugh when my suitcase was exactly 4 pounds too heavy. With only 4 pounds, you’d think the airline could have looked the other way… no luck this time.

In case you’re as new to Poilâne as I was, the video below is a great introduction to the boulangerie, its history and its significance to the Parisian lifestyle. You’ll quickly see why no other bread in Paris can compare, and the great thing about fresh slices of Poilâne is the number of things you can do with it, particularly as a tartine.

There’s a sweet one too!

Poilâne Tartine Recipe

In many ways, a tartine is an open sandwich and can be enjoyed savory or sweet. For ideas on how to savor every bite of the Poilâne loaf, I also bought this great little cookbook written for Lionel, Apollonia’s late father. Other recipes abound online, but my favorite tartine ever so far was at a little restaurant in Nice. Though I am not sure about many of the ingredients, I’ve recreated something similar and thought I would share the basic recipe. If you don’t have Poilâne, sourdough works really well.

To try my favorite tartine at home, you’ll need:

• Slices of Poilâne bread
• Homemade avocado spread of fresh avocado, mayonnaise, lemon juice and whatever else you would like
• Fresh romaine lettuce
• Fresh tomato slices
• Grilled chicken strips, chilled
• Chipotle mayo or salad dressing
• Salt and Pepper

Spread the avocado spread on the bread (toasted if you’d like). Then top with lettuce and tomatoes. Lay the chicken strips across and lightly drizzle the chipotle dressing across the top. Add salt and pepper to your tastes. With proper French etiquette, no fingers here! Savor each bite with a knife and fork.

How easy is that? Plus it’s delicious, fresh and healthy! And I find it especially delightful that, in a way, the French have their sandwiches as well.

Look how big this loaf is! Pictured in front of my mom’s Autumn Tree.

My family loved their Poilâne bread… and confiture de lait. The weekend was so busy I didn’t have time to try out a few recipes with my family. Luckily they have an entire loaf to experiment with and I will most certainly be buying Poilâne by the slice regularly.

Have you ever tried Poilâne? What are some of your favorite tartine recipes?

Tagged as: Paris, Recipes, Restaurant Review, Traditions