Sweet Tartes Recipes for 5 Tarts from Provence

It is hard to beat French patisseries (pastry shops) for viennoiseries (croissants, pain au chocolate, and brioche) and their selection of tartes. Throughout France, pastry chefs make a culinary art with exquisite fruit tarts and classics like mille-feuille made with puff pastry and crème pâtissière. Below, we highlight five tarts from Provence and a selection of recipes.

Tarte Tropézienne:

Tarte Tropezienne is a slice of French heaven. Originating from the town of Saint-Tropez, this iconic Provençal dessert consists of a sweet brioche bread, cut in half and filled with a crème pâtissière that is sometimes flavoured with orange blossom water. To finish, the tart is often dusted with powdered sugar. This long-time dessert, also known as “La Tarte de Saint-Tropez,” has been around since 1952 when a Polish pastry chef Alexandre Micka recreated a family recipe in his new hometown. However, when Brigitte Bardot was filming “Et dieu créa la femme” in 1955, the film crew was served the Tarte Tropezienne, and this pastry became synonymous with Saint Tropez.

©Tasha Powell

To create this fantastic dessert there are three parts to the recipe: the brioche, the pastry cream and the whipped cream. In addition, you require pearl sugar (sucre perlé), which can be purchased at Carrefour stores in France, at a gourmet food supplier or online. While these recipes require time (and planning), it is a fantastic treat for your friends and family!

Tarte Tropézienne Recipe

Because the brioche rises overnight, allow two (2) days to make your Tarte Tropéziennes. I make the pastry cream and whipped cream while the dough rises on day two (2), so the project takes a bit of time management!

Check out this recipe

Tarte aux Citron

A tangy and refreshing citrus dessert made with a crisp pastry crust and a luscious lemon custard filling. The funny thing about lemon-flavoured desserts is that often, non-sweet lovers like the tart-sweet combination. Most lemon tarts include lemon juice, zest, eggs, sugar, and butter. If you are making a Tarte aux Citron from scratch, it contains several steps. However, if having enough time is a challenge, there are a few ways to cut corners, reduce the timeframe and still have a delicious result (see notes section). Enjoy this tangy, sweet finish to a spring meal.

©Francis Hammond

Lemon Tart - Tarte aux Citron - La Tarta al Limoun

A delicious lemon tart that can be baked as one large tart or served in smaller tartlets to share, Enjoy! 

Check out this recipe

Lemon Tart - Tarte au Citron

One of the most popular desserts at Provence Marinaside. The lemon tart has been on the menu since Chef Jean-Francis Quaglia opened his restaurant. This tart is the first thing that he ever made on his own at the age of eight (8). Jean-Francis made this for his mother as a surprise, having watched her make it since he was a toddler. His mother (Chef Suzanne), a young widow and single mom, was one of France's first female professional chefs. She owned and was the chef of Le Patalain in Marseille.

Check out this recipe

Lemon Tart - Tarte aux Citron

To make this dessert requires a bit of time and some patience as there are several steps. You can skip a few by buying the ingredients, but the result will not be quite as good.

Check out this recipe

Lemon Meringue Tartlets

An irresistible bite-sized flavour combination of sweet and tart.

Check out this recipe

Classic and Amazing Lemon Tart

A tasteful tart made with fresh lemon that is perfect for sharing!

Check out this recipe

Tarte aux Pignons

This dessert, a pine nut tart, is the French version of pecan pie or walnut tart. The sweet base for the tart is a shortcrust pastry shell (pâte sablée). Tarte aux pignons is a specialty from Gruissan a town in l’Occitane on the Mediterranean.

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.

Check out this recipe

Swiss Chard, Raisin and Pine Nuts Tart

Tarte niçoise aux blettes et pignons de pin is such mouthful, of words, for a dessert. On my last visit to Nice, I tasted this fabulous local délice. French cooking is absolutely regional like its weather, and you can only find certain specialities in specific towns. Ok, I have to say this tart is not for everyone. Dessert with veggies in it does sound strange. Some might sprinkle confectioner’s sugar before serving. The tart is even better the next day.

Check out this recipe

Fava Bean Tart

Fève(s) is a French word with several meanings – a trinket in the epiphany cake, chocolate disks used by chocolatiers and in baking, and fava beans. La Tourte de Fèves is a dessert recipe from Nice, with fava beans for the tart filling, egg, sugar, and hints of citrus. The recipe for la Tourte de Fèves comes from Carnets de cuisine du Comté de Nice, a cookbook and a tribute to the essence of Cuisine Nissarde sharing food with family and friends. The recipe below was translated and published with the permission of the Office de Tourisme Métropolitain Nice Côte d’Azur. Available in French only, you can find Carnets de cuisine du Comté de Nice online at Amazon or the tourist office in Nice, France.

Fava Bean Tart - la Tourte de Fèves

Considered part of the culinary traditions of Nice – Cuisine Nissarde - la Tourta ai Fava is a timeless dessert that requires patience and time, as the cooking takes place over two days. But the sweet result is well worth it!

Check out this recipe

© OTMNCA / J. Kelagopian

Tourte aux Blette Sucrée

This dessert originates from Nice on the French Riviera. Nice, now France’s 5th largest city, was not always part of l’hexagone but rather part of Italy until 1860 when it was ceded to France under the Treaty of Turin. As a result, the local cuisine evolved from Italian and French culinary influences. This cuisine features Mediterranean ingredients such as almonds, olives, olive oil, citrus, tomatoes, sardines, anchovies, and Swiss chard. While Swiss chard may not be something you think of as an ingredient for baking, the subtle flavour adds texture to this sweet snack. Dusted with sugar, a slice is perfect with coffee or tea.

Swiss Chard Pie - Tourta de Blea - Tourte aux Blette Sucrée

This delicious dessert contains raisins, dry cheese, pinenuts, and apples. Enjoy! 

Check out this recipe

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.

Check out this recipe

©Frenchified Wife

Tarts from Provence

We hope you try some of these recipes from Provence, a region known for its abundant fresh, locally-grown ingredients, including fruits, citrus, nuts and olives. Many of these ingredients are incorporated into delicious pastries and desserts.