Recette: Tarte au Soleil (Sun Tart)

The Simplest Ever Show-stopper for Your Next Get-together

I learned how to make this pretty tart at a workshop on a retreat in Provence.

Credit for the inspiration goes to Chef Nicky Mackintosh and his marvelous wife, Cindy. And thanks go to the inimitable Ajiri Aki for organizing this special visit.

Yeah, I lost the recipe but I’m telling you, this is so so so easy to make (only four ingredients), so I just adapted it. The whole thing takes no more than a half hour. Also you can whip it up earlier in the day—it doesn’t necessarily need to be warm, but you could always heat it up a little bit just before guests arrive if you like.

Note: There is a sweet French playlist of non-obvious chill songs at the bottom of this post. I made it for you, so scroll on down ⬇️

Cindy and Nicky Mackintosh at their gorgeous home in Provence

And if you want to make the most mouth-watering melted Camembert cheese to go with it, maybe check out this recipe, too. Look at you! You’re slaying the French apéro game.

Look! I made it at home. And if you’ve got about half an hour, you can too.

TARTE AU SOLEIL (Sun Tart)

Serves 8-10 as a snack

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Puff Pastry discs (store-bought unless you’re insane)

• 1 Jar of Pesto, 190 grams/6-8 ounces (you can make your own if you prefer, and you can use green or red pesto or even a green olive tapenade)

• 1 Egg, beaten

• 2 Tbs Sesame seeds

PREPARATION

STEP ONE
Preheat your oven according to your puff pastry package instructions. While it’s preheating, get all your ingredients ready, as you won’t want to leave the puff pastry sitting out while you open jars, etc. If for any reason your puff pastry does get a little too warm to work with, just slide it back into the fridge for five or so minutes and you’ll be fine.

STEP TWO
Open one package of puff pastry and lay the disc on a parchment-lined or silicone baking tray. No need to poke the puff pastry with a fork.

Spread the pesto all over the top of the puff pastry, leaving just a tiny border around the edge.

Open the second puff pastry disc and lay it over the top of the pesto-covered disc.

STEP THREE
Use the rim of a small glass to press a circle in the center of the puff pastry, but don’t press too hard. You just want an indentation—not to cut the pastry.

STEP FOUR
Using the circle as a guide, with a small, sharp knife, start from the edge of the circular indentation and cut the pastry into quarters. Then cut each quarter into halves, and continue halving the sections until each quarter has 8 sections (a total of 32).

STEP FIVE
Now gently lift up each piece, being careful not to tear it away from the circle, and twist two or three times. Work your way around the tart, always twisting in the same direction, unless you want a janky tart.

STEP SIX
You’re almost there! Just brush the whole deal with the beaten egg to help get a golden crust, and sprinkle your sesame seed love all over the center circle.

STEP SEVEN
Pop her in the oven and follow your package instructions for cooking times, but keep your eye on the tart to make sure it doesn’t over-brown.

Voilà t’es vraiment doué(e) ! (You’re great at this!)

Take This Festive Tart and Make a Meal Out of It

If you don’t want to wait till your next party or you just don’t like people, you can hoard this fancy tart for yourself. Might I suggest that as un accompagnement, you could make any one of these officially fab salads from

emily nunn

at The Department of Salad?

All that’s left to do now is turn on this playlist I made for you ⬇️. Yes, I know it’s not quite le printemps (springtime) yet, but guess what? I’m manifesting it.

I love every song on this list so much, but number 11 is special to me because I was playing it every day that summer in 2021 when I met Monsieur B in Paris in the middle of the pandemic.

The singer, Louane, is a huge music icon in France. She’s a pop star who’s also done some acting, she’s a coach on the French equivalent of The Voice

Bonne soirée et bonne dégustation,

Karen