Tarte Tropezienne, also known as "La Tarte de Saint-Tropez", is a dessert pastry.
Brigitte Bardot, who was in the area of St. Tropez, France in the 1960's filming her cinema debut movie, “And God Created Women”, came across this heavenly tarte and fell in love with it. I think the tarte looks more like a cake than a tarte since it is pretty big. The top and bottom are a lemon infused brioche with rich buttercream filling in the center and omg does it taste heavenly.
For the Brioche you need
3 Tbsp 2% milk at room temperature
1 Tbsp + 3/4 cup pastry flour
1 ½ tsp dry instant yeast
1 Tbsp icing sugar (sifted to avoid clumps)
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ tsp salt
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg, whisked with 2 Tbsp of water, for brushing
1 lemon zest
For the Butter Cream Filling, you need
1 cup 2% milk
½ vanilla bean
1 large whole egg
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup of sugar
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
2 1/2 Tbsp + 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cubes sugar (or pearl sugar, found at European food stories)
⅓ cup whipping cream
1 egg, whisked with 2 Tbsp water, for brushing
DIRECTIONS
Brioche Cream Filling & Assembly
1. Stir 2 Tbsp of the milk, 1 Tbsp of the flour and the yeast together and let sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the remaining milk, flour, sugar, egg, lemon zest and salt to the first mixture and mix well (about 5 min by hand or 3 minutes in a mixer). Add the butter while mixing and beat until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth. Place the dough in a large oiled out bowl and cover with plastic. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 30 minutes, then chill for at least 8 hours, up to 24 hours.
3. On a generously floured work surface, roll the chilled brioche dough into a ball, then roll out into a 9-inch circle about ½-inch thick. Transfer this to a parchment-lined baking tray, cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rest for 90 minutes. While the dough is resting, prepare the cream filling.
4. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat and add the vanilla bean. In a separate bowl, whisk the whole egg, yolk, sugar, and cornstarch together. Slowly pour in the hot milk while whisking, then pour the entire mixture back into the pot. Whisk the custard and cook until thickened and just a few simmering bubbles begin to appear about 4 minutes. Strain the custard into a bowl and stir in the butter. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream and cool to room temperature, then chill completely.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the surface of the brioche with the egg wash. Crush the sugar cubes in a resealable bag until they are in little pieces (same texture as coarse sea salt) or use pearl sugar (coarse sugar) and sprinkle this on top of the brioche. Bake for about 20 minutes, until an even rich brown color. Cool completely before filling.
6. To assemble, whip the cream to a soft peak. Stir the custard to soften it, then fold in the whipped cream. Slice the brioche in half horizontally and spread the cream over the bottom half, then lightly place the top half on it. Chill the torte until ready to serve.
Of course, as always there are some variations on how to make this tarte, so here is a great video for you to watch.
How to make the Brioche ...
