Sugar pie, its history and our best addresses
Discover sugar tarts, a Northern French speciality that has been reinterpreted many times but never altered, from Béthune to Ramatuelle to Paris.
A speciality of the Middle Ages, tarts were either sweet or savoury. Traces of them can be found in 18th-century northern France, thanks in particular to the development of beet cultivation. Its fundamentals: a brioche pastry enriched with bits of butter and generously sprinkled with vergeoise sugar.
Alex Croquet's sugar tart, Wattignies
"I make the traditional sugar tart. It's an organic butter brioche spread like a galette, in which I make holes and fill them with a mixture of butter, vergeoise and egg, so that when you heat it up, it's really gourmet", explains the owner of Pâtisserie Croquet. He also creates an offbeat version straight out of his imagination, with a sweet desugared pastry on which he places a very thin layer of homemade caramel and a crème brûlée appliance! A real gourmet delight!
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Where? 59 rue Faidherbe, 59139 Wattignies
Hélène Kerloeguen's sugar tart, Prince de Galles, Paris
Here, sugar tart is synonymous with regressive indulgence. "I find that brioche often tends to be overcooked and dry, but the sugar tart with its addition of butter and then cream gives it an incomparable softness," explains the Prince de Galles chef. The brioche is generously drizzled with liquid cream before and after baking to enhance its milky taste and softness. A must for Sunday brunch, and sometimes even for breakfast with a homemade milk jam.
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Where? 33 avenue George V 75008 Paris
Sugar, lemon and tarragon tart from Julien Coulomb, La Réserve, Ramatuelle
A brioche with Tahitian vanilla, seasoned with tarragon powder from the garden and Menton lemon... Julien Coulomb interprets the sugar tart with the flavors of his region. "I add cubes of butter and dots of raw cream to the holes in the pastry, sprinkle with sugar and bake the brioche. I then add Menton lemon confit and fresh lemon supremes and a little tarragon powder to bring freshness to this very gourmet brioche."
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Where? 736 Chemin des Cretes, 83350 Ramatuelle
Maxence Barbot's sugar tart, Shangri-La, Paris
"I wanted a sharing piece to offer at tea time. Sugar tarts are very consensual. I make a fluffy brioche pastry, sprinkled with brown sugar and pieces of semi-salted butter to enhance its taste", confides the pastry chef at La Bauhina - Shangri-La Paris (1 toque). Reheated just before serving, the texture contrasts between the crispness of the caramelization and the softness of the brioche.
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Where? 10 Avenue d'Iéna, 75116 Paris
Stéphane de Bourgies
Jean-François Couillart's sugar tart, Chez Jeff, Béthune
"I use my grandmother's recipe. I make a brioche dough and let it rise for about 30 minutes. I make holes in the dough, add cream, vergeoise sugar and dabs of butter, then bake in the oven for ten minutes. The brioche should not be baked too hard, but should remain slightly white to retain its softness. Jean-François Couillart's tasting tip: eat it slightly warm, on its own or with a coffee! A pure delight!
► Where? 72 rue Albert 1ᵉʳ, 62400 Béthune
