The Tropezienne Tart, or when God created Brigitte Bardot

Fashion comes and goes...what was popular once falls into oblivion only to reappear years later with renewed strength... This is the case of Brigitte Bardot and the Tropezienne Tart.

Apparently, this tart was created by a Polish pâtissier, at the times when Roger Vadim started to make a film..."And God created woman..." in St Tropez, starring who was at the time an unknown girl called Brigitte...

The film crew loved this tart so much that they asked the pâtissier to make one (or several) every day...The film was a hit, the unknown girl became a world sex-symbol.....

And the tart became the symbol of St Tropez !! so it was rebaptised "tarte Tropézienne"....

It is a simple tart, brioche dough plus "crème mousseline" (i.e.: pastry cream  & butter) with sprinkled rock sugar on top....so simple that it becomes unbeatable: imagine the cream oozing out between the layers of brioche...impossible to stop at one bite!

But people had almost forgotten Brigitte (who lives in ostracism in the south of France) and the tart, until this summer one French handbag-maker launched a new model of bag called Bardot, and with it, Brigitte came back into limelight, and the tart too !! 

It is THE thing to eat this summer !!! Macarons will be out, if you know what I mean....

OK, I know what you are going to say..."making "la brioche" is complicated or at least it takes too many hours..." Maybe you have a point there, this is why when I found this "brioche express" recipe by chef Christophe Felder (former pâtissier chef, at Crillon Hotel, Paris), I  decided we could give it a try!

Probably making the true brioche dough is better, but let's admit it, sometimes we don't have the time, or we want to improvise, and late in the morning, we decide surprising our family or friends with this treat for tea-time!

The result?....if you ask my family? "Buenisima!!" (too good!) The proof? Kids and husband arguing about who was entitled to the biggest share...

Does Brigitte still eat this tarte in the solitude of her home? I'm sure she does....

Enjoy it!

Here comes the recipe.....



To make this Tropezienne Tart, you will need:


 (for the yeast ferment)
 * all purpose flour, 50gr
 * milk, 40gr
 * fresh yeast, 10gr


 (for the dough)
 * all purpose flour, 225gr
 * granulated sugar, 40gr
 * milk, 150ml
 * egg, 1
 * salt, 5gr
 * butter, soft, 60gr
 * rhum (optional), 1 tablespoon


 (for the cream)
 *1 egg + 1 yolk
 * sugar, 50gr
 * butter, soft, 40gr
 * cornstarch, 25gr
 * milk, 250ml
 * whipped cream, 70gr
 * orange flower water, 1 tablespoon
 * vanille bean, cut lengthwise and scraped, 1

 (for the egg wash)
 * 1 yolk + 1 tablespoon of water
Warning: all the ingredients should be at room temperature!

1. Combine the warm milk, the yeast and the flour, directly in the big bowl of your stand mixer. Pour the 225gr of flour on top of the yeast mixture. Don't mix, don't cover! Set aside, at room temperature, for 1 hour. (you will see some cracks are formed, due to the yeast!). Add the sugar, salt, milk, and the egg. Whisk for 1' with the paddle attachment. Add the 60gr of soft butter and rhum. Whisk first at low speed, then medium for 15'. Because of the high content in butter, this dough is sticky in nature...yet, after  the 15', it should not stick to the sides of the bowl (add some flour if necessary). Put the dough in a bowl, cover it with plastic film. Refrigerate for 30'

2. In the meanwhile (during fermentation time), you can start preparing the cream: put the milk and vanille bean in a saucepan; take it to a boil, infuse for 30'. Remove the bean. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and cornstarch. Fold in half the milk, combining gently. Put everything back in the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook medium/low heat until the cream thickens. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, whisk well. Let it cool. Then add the orange flower water. Put the cream in a dish, cover with plastic wrap (making contact with the cream) Refrigerate. When the cream is cold, take it out of the fridge, whisk it gently and add the cold whipped cream. Refrigerate again (always covering with plastic wrap) 

3. Flour your table top. With the help of a rolling pin (floured) shape the dough into a circle of 22cm diameter. Place it on a buttered and floured baking sheet. Cover with a clean piece of cloth. Let it rise for 45' at room temperature. Pre-heat your oven at 175°C. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle rock sugar on top. Bake for 20'. Warning: the brioche should not get too dark (cover with aluminum foil if necessary) Do not over-cook the brioche, otherwise it will turn too dry! Let the tart cool on a wire rack. Cut the brioche in half horinzontally. Spread the cream on the bottom layer, cover with the other. Refrigerate until served.

PS: Mrs Bardot's photo does not belong to me, obviously, but since I found the same photo in several people's Flickr photostream, I could not ascertain the real author of the photo. In any case, whoever it was..Thanks !!! Incredible picture!!