Provencal Dessert Pine Nut Tart (Tarte aux Pignons)
Dessert · Pies & Tarts · Provencal Recipes · Taste · Viktorija TodorovskaTarte aux pignons or a pine nut tart is the Provencal version of pecan pie or walnut tart. The sweet base for the tart is a shortcrust pastry shell (pâte sablée) this dessert is a specialty from the village of Bormes-les-Mimosas.
Discover other Mediterranean recipes in this cookbook Provence Food and Wine: The Art of Living, filled with simple to make Provencal classics and tempting photography by François Millo.

Pine Nut Tart (Tarte aux Pignons)
This recipe includes the pie crust, which is easy to make. However, if you would rather skip that step you can buy a prepared pie crust. If you like shortbread cookies, you will like this crust, and the sweet filling speaks for itself.
Ingredients
For the pastry shell:
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 stick (8 tbsp) chilled butter cubed
- ¼ cup ice water
For the filling:
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 4 tbsp rum divided
- ½ cup apricot jam or peach jam
- 6 tbsp butter creamed
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup pine nuts roughly chopped
Instructions
To make the pie shell:
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter and pulse for 15 seconds, until the dough resembles coarse meal.
- Slowly add the water, continuing to pulse for another 15 seconds, until clumps start to form. Do not overprocess. The dough should not be a solid ball.
- Place the dough on a working surface and gently form into a ball. Divide in two and flatten each half to a ½ disk.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Take dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature until it starts to soften and can be rolled out. The dough should not be too soft as it will stick.
- Roll out dough to a ¼-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper.
- Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 40 minute. At this point, the dough can be frozen for up to a month.
- Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press into the corners of the tart pan. Cut off any excess dough.
To make the filling:
- In a cup, soak the raisins in 2 tablespoons rum for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- In a small bowl, combine the jam and the remaining 2 tablespoons rum.
- In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy.
- Add the eggs and continue beating on medium speed until the eggs are incorporated.
- Add the ground almonds and beat for an additional minute until the mixture is uniform.
- Add the jam and the raisins soaked in rum and stir well.
- Pour the filling into the prepared tart shell and distribute evenly.
- Distribute the pine nuts evenly on the tart and bake for 35 minutes, until the crust and top are golden brown.
- Serve at room temperature.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Legal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Related Provence Articles
Apples and Cherries a Twist on Classic Clafoutis
June 1, 2022
Clafoutis is a summer classic in France. It’s such an easy dessert to make, and only requires whatever fruit you have on hand and basic ingredients most people have in their fridge and cupboards. Apple and cherry is such a delicious combination, sweet but with just the right amount of sourness. You can use frozen …
Fancy an Ice Cream in Provence? Our Top Picks
March 26, 2021
Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal. ~ Voltaire* Susan Gish writes: Sam and I had a really tough assignment over the summer doing the research for this article (she said sarcastically). But someone has to do it, so instead of worrying about getting rid of those post-confinement calories, we only ate …
Figs and Chocolate Make a Delicious Tart
April 14, 2021
Almost indescribable, the scent of a fig tree full of almost ripe fruit is a fragrance that is both sweet and earthy, it’s summer in Provence. The scent is distinctive, almost arresting in the open air, however, in a closed space can be overwhelming. And, you can eat too many! Most fig tree varieties produce …
Holiday Baking: Festive Cranberry Tart Recipe from Provence
December 16, 2024
Do particular foods make you think of the holiday season? For me, the appearance of cranberries in the supermarket is a sure sign that Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities are around the corner. The cranberry tart recipe below is from Moulin Castelas, a beautiful olive plantation and mill near Les Baux de Provence. Moulin Castelas Olive …
No Comment