A visit to the Saint Tropez waterfront isn’t complete without a stop at one of the numerous pastry shops offering delightful brioche pastries filled with a delicate pastry cream infused with the flavors of vanilla and orange blossom.
The original recipe, comprising two rounds of brioche dough adorned with pearl sugar, creates the exquisite Tarte Tropézienne. This culinary marvel is, in fact, a closely guarded secret. Invented by Alexandre Micka in 1955, it has been attempted by many, but few have succeeded in replicating its exceptional taste. The true acclaim of this brioche is often attributed to the actress Brigitte Bardot, who, while filming one of her movies in Saint Tropez, was enchanted by this dessert and played a significant role in its widespread recognition.
The exact recipe remains a mystery, though I attempted to recreate it by searching online for the closest version available. I must confess, however, that I omitted the fish glue in the cream. This means it might not hold its shape perfectly, especially if you plan to refrigerate it for more than a day. To preserve its softness, I recommend serving the brioche and cream separately if you intend to enjoy it over multiple days.
Now, onto the recipe!
Ingredients for a 24 cm :
For the dough:
- 150 g Manitoba flour
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 4 g dried yeast (I used 150g of refreshed sourdough starter + 1,5g of dried east)
- 130 g whole fresh milk
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 medium egg (about 50 g, shelled)
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom aroma (try to search online)
- 60 g soft butter + extra for greasing the work surface and bowl
- a pinch of salt
For garnish:
- 1 medium egg
- Sugar
For the Tarte Tropezienne cream:
- 500 g milk
- 130 g granulated sugar
- 35 g cornstarch
- 35 g rice starch
- 4 egg yolks (80 g)
- 1 vanilla bean
- a pinch of salt
- 175 g soft butter
- 100 g fresh cream
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom aroma
Procedure:
For the Dough:
- In a stand mixer bowl with a dough hook attachment, combine the two flours, sugar, and dried yeast.
- In a jug, pour the milk and crack the egg into it. Add the orange blossom aroma and whisk the mixture with a fork. (If you are using the sourdough starter, add it too)
- Start the stand mixer and gradually pour the mixture from the jug until the ingredients come together. When the dough wraps around the hook and detaches from the sides of the bowl, add a few small pieces of soft butter (not too much) one at a time, alternating with the addition of salt.
- This process will take at least 10 minutes. You shouldn’t add more butter until the previously added butter has been completely absorbed by the dough.
- Once all the ingredients are incorporated, transfer the dough onto a lightly buttered work surface, shape it into a ball, place it in a buttered bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 3 hours in a turned-off oven (if you use sourdough starter, then you will need probably more time ).
- After the rising time, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, shape it into a ball, place it on a piece of parchment paper, and flatten it with a rolling pin until you get a 22 cm diameter circle.
- Let the dough rise in the turned-off oven for 60 minutes. Then, delicately brush the surface with beaten egg and sprinkle it generously with pearl sugar. Bake in a preheated static oven at 170°C for about 20 minutes.
- Once baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
For the Cream:
- In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar. Add cornstarch, rice starch, orange blossom aroma, vanilla, and a splash of cold milk. Simultaneously, heat the remaining milk in a pan until it almost boils.
- Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking quickly. Pour everything back into the pan and cook over low heat until the pastry cream thickens.
- Once ready, transfer the pastry cream to a wide, shallow dish, cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface, and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once the pastry cream is cold, put it back into the stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment and make it creamy again. Then, add the soft butter gradually, mixing all the ingredients.
- Now whip the cream
- Finally, fold in the whipped cream using a spatula until well combined. Your Tarte Tropezienne cream is ready!
Assembly:
- Cut the cake horizontally and spread the cream on the base in decorative tufts.
- Cover it with the top layer, and your Tarte Tropezienne is ready to be enjoyed!
Notes:
- You can also use fresh yeast: in this case, you will need about 10 g.
- I must confess, however, that I omitted the fish glue in the cream. This means it might not hold its shape perfectly, especially if you plan to refrigerate it for more than a day. To preserve its softness, I recommend serving the brioche and cream separately if you intend to enjoy it over multiple days.
- For this cream, it’s essential that both the cream and the butter are at room temperature, or it won’t whip perfectly.
