Tarte Tropézienne

Originating from, you guessed it… Saint-Tropez, the tarte tropézienne comes from Saint-Tropez, on the French Riviera, and is generally credited to Polish pastry chef Alexandre Micka, who created it in 1955. Brigitte Bardot later helped make it famous and reportedly suggested its name.
With this recipe, you can make small Tarte Tropéziennes that are perfect for special occasions and sure to impress.

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

250 Gr. all-purpose flour
50 Gr. sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 Teaspoon active dry yeast
100 Ml warm milk
1 egg (room temperature)
50 Gr. soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 organic lemon

For the Crème Mousseline

300 Ml milk
1 vanilla pod (seeds scraped) or 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
60 Gr. sugar
30 Gr. cornstarch
150 Gr. soft butter – room temperature

For brushing:
1 egg + 1 tsp milk (beaten)
Pearl sugar for sprinkling

PREPARATION

Sift the flour into a large bowl, make a well in the center, and add the yeast, a pinch of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of warm milk. Let sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
Add the remaining sugar, salt, egg, butter, vanilla, and lemon zest. Pour in the rest of the milk, knead into a smooth dough, and let rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Roll the dough out to 1 cm thickness and cut out 5 circles (about 9 cm in diameter). Place them on a baking sheet, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush the dough with the beaten egg mixture and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, then let cool completely.
For the crème mousseline, heat the milk with the vanilla pod and seeds. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Gradually stir in the hot milk, return the mixture to the pot, and cook over medium heat until thickened. Let cool completely.
Beat the soft butter and gradually fold in the cooled cream until light and fluffy. Chill the cream before using.
Cut the cooled pastries in half horizontally. Pipe the crème mousseline onto the bottom halves and place the top halves back on. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

These light and fluffy Tarte Tropéziennes are elegant and irresistible!