Spotlight: La Tartine Gourmande

Mike Fubini
Beatrice Peltre, a French expatriate and regular contributor to the Boston Globe Food section, has created an exceptional blog, La Tartine Gourmande. Through skillful use of a camera and poetic use of the English language, Beatrice reminds her readers of food’s sometimes forgotten beauty; she gracefully elevates cooking and eating to the level of artistic creation. Take her July 2nd post on Panna cotta and stewed berries en verrines. For the Fourth of July holiday, while my family and I were drizzling cheap chocolate sauce on vanilla ice cream and calling it Heaven, Beatrice crafted these gorgeous, delicious desserts for her family. Her talents as a food stylist and photographer shine through.Each post from La Tartine Gourmande features an eloquent story about food and family, accompanied by a series of soft and vivid pictures showcasing Beatrice’s favorite food of the day. Last month’s Apricot tarts post showcases this process. In this, my favorite post, Beatrice uses pictures and comic descriptions of her young daughter Lulu’s attempts to sneak an apricot tart to highlight the treats themselves.
Beatrice shares a great many things with her readers, from mouth-watering recipes (her blog houses an impressive number and variety of recipes, from strawberry salad to chocolate banana cake, each of which is conveniently organized and easy to access) to personal adventures. Above all, La Tartine Gourmande’s intimately artistic design seeks to reignite the reader’s passion for food.
Tempted? Head to La Tartine Gourmande and discover the aesthetic appeal of a well prepared meal.