Saint-Tropez is known for its enchanting turquoise waters, its long sandy beaches peppered with striped loungers, and its small coves linked by picturesque coastal paths. But what gives the resort its flavour, its unique taste? It’s the tarte tropézienne, of course!
The dessert that came from the east
Before describing the mellow, crisp deliciousness of this wonderful dessert, we would like to take you back in time and across Europe. Picture yourself in the 1930s (exact dates remain, like many pastry secrets, undisclosed), somewhere in Poland (there too, mystery!). Let us enter the scene. At the kitchen table, a little boy. The table is made of wood, a bowl issues clouds of steam. On the board is cheese and charcuterie. The child raises his head, his face lights up with a big smile. An old woman places a plump cake in front of him. A kind of bread? No, a brioche. Let's look again. Is that a sprinkling of pearl sugar on top? And in the middle, a cream filling?
A tarte becomes tropézienne
It is indeed a round brioche sown on top with grains of sugar, cut horizontally across the middle and filled with an irresistible mixture of pastry cream and buttercream. If move closer still, we can scent the aroma of vanilla, and is that a hint of orange blossom water, too? The child, who sighs with soft satisfaction as he eagerly bites into this light and delicious brioche, is Alexandre Micka. Move forward to the 1950s and he opens a pâtisserie in Saint-Tropez where he sells the delicious brioches that his grandmother showed him how to make to her secret recipe. He is put in charge of the catering for the film crew working on the soon-to-be famous movie, And God Created Woman. The pâtissier brings along his wonderful brioche for the cast and crew. Brigitte Bardot loves Alexandre’s dessert and suggests a name for it. Thus, it becomes the tart tropézienne and acquires a popularity that it still enjoys today! Bon Appetit!
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Restaurant Colette, a unique setting, a singular signature and a modern concept
