Diamond Dish: The Carriage House Cooking School

Diamond Designation: Four Diamond (Upscale style and amenities with the right touch of service. Learn more about AAA Diamonds.)

Location: 77 Mirror Lake Dr, Lake Placid, N.Y.

In the hill country of Peru, N.Y., Curtiss Hemm teaches on the grounds of his 350-acre farm at the Carriage House Cooking School and leads regular cooking demos for both hotel guests and the public at the AAA Four Diamond Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid.

“Tartine,” French for toast, is a staple breakfast in many French homes. Often a simple ‘une tartine’ is a slice of sandwich-style bread, toasted, and topped with either butter, jam or a slice of cheese,” Hemm said. This version showcases local ingredients produced within miles of the cooking school, like Barkeater Buche, a soft goat cheese with a bloomy ash rind from Asgaard Farm in Essex County.

Hemm’s classes are designed for the home cook and celebrate the culinary landscape of the Adirondacks. “No matter where we are in the Northeast, we have access to amazing local bread, cheese and maple syrup,” he said. “This gives each of us a unique opportunity to showcase the terroir of our individual regions.”

Barkeater Tartine with Sourdough, Maple & Walnuts

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 slices Red Oak Food Co. Boule
• 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 4 tablespoons thyme leaves
• 8 ounces Asgaard Farm Barkeater Buche
• 1 tablespoon Woods maple syrup
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees. (With convection on if your stove has it.)

Drizzle the olive oil across a sheet tray. Take the bread slices and wipe them across the oil, making sure to coat both sides of the bread. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on the sheet. Evenly top each slice with some walnuts, thyme, buche, maple syrup, salt and pepper.

Place the tartines in the oven and bake until the buches begin to bubble and brown and the edges of the tartine are crisp and crunchy with toasted edges and melted cheese. Remove the tartines from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.