A Sweet way to cook with Swiss Chard – La Tourte aux Blette Sucrée
Dessert · Pies & Tarts · Provencal Recipes · Taste · Viktorija TodorovskaViktorija Todorovska is familiar with food and wine from the Mediterranean and has written some books on the subject. After guiding several cultural tours in Italy and France, and converting a few palettes to the subtleties of Armagnac, she is now “test driving” living on the French Riviera, in Nice.
Read more about this talented lady in “Wine and Olive Affair” and about her cookbook “Nice Cuisine and the Art of Living.”
Viktorija’s recipe below is a classic sweet snack made with Swiss chard for the Niçoise as Chiara Orlandi explained in her post on la Tourte aux Blette Sucrée.

La tourte sucrée aux blettes
Swiss chard may not be something you typically think of an an ingredient for baking, but the subtle flavour adds texture to this sweet snack. Dusted with sugar this square is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- pinch salt
- 2 sticks butter at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
For the filling:
- 8 cups Swiss Chard stems removed and green parts cut into a chiffonnade
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup hard cow’s milk cheese such as Comté or Gruyère
- 1/2 cup raisins a mix of red and golden, soaked in ¼ cup rum and drained
- 3/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup Marc or other eau de vie
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Pastis
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
- 2 green apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced
Instructions
- To make the crust:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt.
- Add the butter and eggs and mix with your hands until the dough comes together.
- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Let the dough sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before rolling out.
- To make the filling:
- Make sure the greens are completely dry.
- If necessary, dry them with paper towels.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, cheese, raisins, pine nuts, marc, olive oil, pastis, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the greens and stir again.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Halve the dough and roll out to ¼ thickness.
- Place one half in a 9-inch pie dish and press into the corners with your fingers.
- Distribute the filling evenly and cover with apple slices.
- Cover with the other half and press the edges to close the pie.
- Pierce the top with a fork in several places.
- Bake for an hour, until the top is golden brown.
- Take the pie out of the oven and dust with powdered sugar.
- Serve warm or 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
Fig Tart with Marzipan
June 15, 2016
This recipe for a delicious fig tart comes from our friend Nito Carpita, a classically trained chef. The figs are baked in a sweet custard - just try to resist!…
Pasta sauce: swiss chard and two cheeses
November 18, 2014
In the city of Nice, swiss chard has long been a kitchen staple and its beautiful, green, sometimes pink-stemmed leaves are known in France as blettes. Both here and over the border in Liguria, greens of all descriptions are used extensively in tarts, soups, tians and for colouring Explore this Post …
Easy Tart Provencal Pears and Chocolate
November 8, 2017
This is a really easy recipe for a scrummy chocolate tart and the addition of the pears offsets the richness of the dark chocolate. Better still, the whole dessert can be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge.…
When Life Gives You Figs – Make a Fig Tart with Orange Flower Custard
October 20, 2017
What is your go-to dinner party hostess gift? A bottle of wine is an easy option, of course. Flowers are nice, but the hostess needs to scramble to find a vase and arrange the bouquet, which might not be practical. David shared this in his post about hostess gifts. “Never show up empty-handed.” I grew …
No Comment