5 DELICIOUS FRENCH TARTS THAT WILL MAKE YOU DROOL

*Originally published 3/11/18

​Pi day (March 14) is coming up, which gives you an excuse to indulge in a delicious pie even though it’s not Thanksgiving! In baking and pastry school we recently focused on tarts, the French cousin of good old American pie, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to share these classic French tarts with you! If you are looking for inspiration for your next pie or tart to celebrate Pi day search no more! Here’s five classical French tarts that are sure to make you drool.

 1. Chocolate Tart (Tarte Chocolat)
I mean you doesn’t love chocolate? And when you create a tart with chocolate as the star you are sure to attract a horde of chocolate lovers. I certainly did fall in love with this rich indulgent tart. It starts with a perfectly buttery and crisp crust filled with rich 60% dark chocolate, coated with a glossy dark chocolate glaze, and topped with whipped chocolate ganache. Want to be extra fancy? Add some gold leaf to accent all the dark tones from the chocolate. ​

2. Pistachio Almond Vanilla Bean Fruit Tart (Tarte Aux Fruits)
This tart is what dreams are made of. Seriously. I love chocolate so of course I loved the chocolate tart but this not so simple fruit tart literally made me want to cry; it was so delicious. After I took photos, you bet I cut myself a little piece to try, which ended up being about a third of the entire tart… It has fruit so I justified it as part of my fruit serving for the day. :P So what exactly is underneath all that fruit that makes this tart amazing? Three delicious components. That perfectly buttery and crisp tart shell, filled with pistachio almond cream, topped with a generous layer or pistachio vanilla bean pastry cream (a.k.a. pudding), piled with fresh naturally sweet berries and accented with gorgeously green watercress. You’ll bet I ate that entire tart by myself. I have no regrets! It was amazing!

3. Apple Tart (Tarte Aux Pommes)
I think one of the most iconic pies in history is good old American apple pie. The French have a similar, more sophisticated and technical tart version that is no easy feat to master. A buttery and crisp tart shell holds apple compote and a bed of sliced apples to make the classic Tarte Aux Pommes (Apple Tart). Sounds easy right? HA! No. The challenge lies in the precise slicing and arranging of the apples in perfect uniformity. Put simply, each apple has to be exactly the same size, thickness, length, shape, and spaced exactly the same distant apart from each other during arranging. I think my best advice for anyone trying to master this tart is to spend plenty of time doing every step perfectly. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

4. Lemon Tart (Tarte Citron)
Ah, the lemon tart. The first time I tried lemon cream in France was at the Eiffel Tower restaurant. It was to die for! I had to learn how to make it and was insanely excited to do so in school. This tart is actually fairly simple but still amazing none the less. Lemon curd (lemon pudding) fills a buttery crisp tart shell and is decorated with meringue and watercressIt’s the French equivalent of the classical Lemon Meringue Pie. I decided to go a little outside the box for my decorating and made a meringue shaped heart. ​

5. Pear Almond Tart (Tarte Bourdaloue)
Ironically, even though this is last on the list, this one was the first tart I made at school! It was absolutely delicious. I discovered how amazing simple flavors can be when you focus and emphasize them so they can shine on a dessert. The pears on this tart are poached making them melt in your mouth as you enjoy the difference in textures between the crisp and buttery tart shell, soft almond cream and pear which a slight crunch from almond slices. This tart is perfect with some tea or coffee for an afternoon snack!
 
I’m so glad I was able to learn about these five classic French tarts in my baking and pastry program at Ferrandi. So far, I’ve been in school for almost a month and I gained a TON of experience and knowledge. I can’t wait to see my progress from the beginning of the program to the end. I’m really excited to recreate these to feature them on my menu when I get back to Chicago! Which tart would you try first?