Avocado, Bacon and Tomato Tartines | Friday Night Bites

Friday Nights mean the work week has officially ended and the weekend has begun.  Hubby and I have a tradition of kicking it off with our Friday Night Bites weekly celebration ritual.  A tasty snack or two along with a great bottle of wine marks the official kick off.  Typically it is just the two of us, but often friends will join in the celebration.

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Often I will make ahead our tasty bite but there will be many times, where I will simply whip it up when I get home from the office.  This week, I have created a supreme delight that is both easy and stunningly beautiful to the naked eye.  I would encourage you to make the garlic aioli a day before, since that is the lengthy endeavor in this recipe. 

The smokiness of charred bread along with the bacon and creamy avocado is a bite full of pure heaven.  Be sure to add salt and pepper to bring out the flavor and complete this French open-faced sandwich.  Traditionally a tartine has a decadent or elaborate topping.  In this case, the garlic aioli is the rich topping and the avocado and bacon adorn this spreadable goodness.

The tartine possibilities are endless.  I think my next tartine is going to have a melody of wild mushrooms with goat cheese.  Oh but then I could do a sautéed Brussels sprouts with parmesan cheese spread and bits of roasted garlic.  My mind is simply spinning right now with a boundless realm of possibilities.  I think tartines will make a regular appearance to my weekly Friday Night Bites series.  What flavor(s) would you like to see next?

Avocado, Bacon and Tomato Tartines

Garlic Aioli

1 head of garlic

2 teaspoon of olive oil

¼ Cup Mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut the head of garlic at the top revealing the ¾ of the garlic.  Tear a large piece of aluminum foil and place garlic in the center.  Drizzle the cut portion of the garlic with the olive oil.  Gently pull up the sides of the foil and cinch together to close the foil.  Cook in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until garlic is soft.  Remove from oven and open to let cool for 15 minutes. 

With a knife, gently remove the pieces of garlic.  Add eight the heads of roasted garlic to a small bowl and mash with a spoon until smooth.  Add the mayonnaise and mix well.  Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tartines

4 Slices Sourdough or Country Bread

2 Roma Tomatoes, sliced

8 Thin Slices of Bacon, cooked

1 Avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced thinly

Salt and pepper

Brush each side of the sliced bread with a touch of olive oil and grill until medium char marks appear.  Remove and let cool.  Spread a tablespoon of the garlic aioli on each slice of grilled bread.  Top each one with a few tomato slices, then with the avocado slices and season with salt and pepper.  Lastly garnish with the bacon and serve.