3-30-2025 4:04am

Philosophizing About Food With Francine: La Tartine and Scones a la Hawaiiana

Lesley Misko Editor

by Francine Black

“Good” bread holds a deeply loved and respected place in the hearts of the French, not only as a side but as an integral part of the food palette. By definition, a tartine is an open-face slice of excellent bread, often toasted or grilled and topped with butter and jam or any of many delicious savory ingredients, such as a piece of Camembert – or perhaps a nice slice of saucisson.

In my childhood home in Hagondange, a tartine of butter and homemade confiture was my usual breakfast fare. As we immigrated to the USA, this tradition followed us, remaining our favorite breakfast. My mother would make a lovely brioche and offered my father thick slices that she slathered for him with her homemade butter and plum preserves.

So today, it’s with pleasure and not a small amount of nostalgia that I enjoy my breakfast of toasted “pain de campagne” and confiture de framboise … and a hot mug of wonderful Kona coffee au lait.

Of course, my sourdough starter travels with me wherever I may roam, including on my trip to Hawaii.

The wild yeasts captured in the dough in every climate zone seem to impart a slightly different aroma. I surrounded my starter with a vase of single Tahitian gardenias, fresh bananas, pineapples, mangoes and papayas and it bubbled like crazy!

Blueberries are fiendishly expensive in Hawaii, and fresh cranberries are nonexistent, but the tropical fruit is beyond compare. So, I decided to experiment and make scones a la Hawaiiana, with golden orange, pineapple, papaya and mango.

I broke off a little piece to taste and they are amazing!

Aloha dear friends!

High in the mountains above Bally, where the dense groves of treetops seem to touch the sky, is Francine Black, Boyertown’s own version of chef Julia Child. Her daily activities reflect the things she most values: family and friends, music, and lovingly prepared food.