Tarte Tropézienne

The Provence region has a rich gastronomy on offer that pleases all fond of good food people. Neighbouring Nice has its Salade Niçoise, Marseille has its Bouillabaisse and St Tropez has its Tarte Tropézienne. This dessert is not to be missed when spending time on the French Riviera. Commonly called a Tropézienne, this cake garnished with cream is simply delicious!

Everything began in 1955 as a Polish pastry chef (Alexandre Micka) opened a bakery in the glamorous St Tropez. He began to sell sandwiches and pizzas to the shooting team of the film Et Dieu…créa la femme (‘And God created Woman’). The actors - especially Brigitte Bardot, who was brought to light thanks to the film – enjoyed the tart so much that they suggested him to give it an actual name. The Tarte Tropézienne was born!

According to the traditional recipe, a Tropézienne is prepared with brioche, French pastry cream (crème patissière) and butter cream. The ingredients which compose this pastry are relatively simple: eggs, flour, powdered milk and butter.

The success of this French dessert is explained by the fact that its recipe has always been homemade.

The first step when cooking this tart is to make the pastry and butter creams and mix them once they are done. The brioche should then be cut sideways and the final cream spread inside. The whole tart is then decorated with granulated sugar. This cake does not need to be baked, but it should stay in the fridge for at least several hours.

A modern recipe of the Tarte Tropézienne includes strawberries and raspberries in the pastry cream which composes the cake. Whether the traditional recipe or the modern one, Tropéziennes are amidst the greatest French desserts! Given the richness of its ingredients, we advise you to eat just a small slice of this tart. Once the cake is done, just cut it in several slices, serve it and enjoy!