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Tarte Tropézienne

17/11/2023

La Tarte Tropézienne is a French patisserie dessert known for its delicacy and goodness. Here is how to prepare it.

Ingredients

For the brioche dough:

  • 250 g of strong flour
  • 30 g of sugar
  • 10 g of fresh yeast
  • 3 eggs
  • 125 g of soft butter
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • Granulated sugar and sugar nibs for decoration
  • 1 egg for glazing

For the custard cream:

  • 500 ml of whole milk
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 100 g of sugar
  • 40 g of flour
  • 20 g of cornstarch

For the butter cream:

  • 150 g of soft butter
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar syrup or icing sugar

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the brioche: dissolve the fresh yeast in a little lukewarm water. Put the flour in a wide bowl, add the eggs, sugar, salt, and dissolved yeast. Knead well until you have a homogeneous mixture.
  2. Add the soft butter pieces little by little, working the dough until it is completely absorbed. Cover with a cloth and let it rest for about 2 hours in a warm place, until the dough has doubled in volume.
  3. In the meantime, prepare the custard cream: bring the milk to a boil with the slit vanilla pod and scraped seeds. In a bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar until they become light and fluffy, then add the sifted flour and cornstarch. Pour the hot milk over the yolk mixture, stir and put everything back on the heat. Cook, stirring constantly until the cream thickens. Cover with cling film in contact and let it cool.
  4. Prepare the butter cream by working the soft butter, adding sugar syrup or icing sugar and continue to beat until you obtain a smooth and fluffy cream.
  5. Gently mix the butter cream with the cold custard cream to obtain a light and homogeneous cream.
  6. Roll out the brioche dough into a disc about 2 cm thick and let it rest for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  7. Brush the surface of the brioche with a beaten egg, and sprinkle with granulated sugar and sugar nibs. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. Let the brioche cool, then cut it horizontally in half. Fill with the cream and reassemble the tart.
  9. Put in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Curiosity

The Tarte Tropézienne was created in the 1950s in Saint-Tropez by pastry chef Alexandre Micka, inspired by a recipe from his grandmother. The popularity of this dessert grew enormously when it was appreciated by actress Brigitte Bardot during the filming of “And God Created Woman”. Bardot also suggested the name, which helped to make the dessert famous worldwide.