This tarte de Soleil recipe is one of the easiest snack, apero, party food dishes there is if you buy ready-made puff pastry that is! Why it’s called ‘tart of the sun’ is easy to see, it’s a feast for the eyes! It’s a super simple dish, two puff-pastry slices filled with something tasty, and it’s great for dipping in sauces and tapenade etc.
How to make tarte de soleil
Ingredients
2 rounds of puff pastry
Filling of your choice (see below for suggestions)
Egg to glaze the pastry
Sesame seeds (optional)
Method
Lay one of your puff pastry rounds out. Spread your filling of choice, leaving around 1 centimetre (half an inch) clear around the edge.
Brush the edges with water. Lay the second sheet of pastry over the top and press the edges together gently to make it stick.
Mark the centre with a glass (you don’t want to cut through the pastry, just leave an imprint).
Cut the tart first into quarters, then make four more cuts in each quarter to create 24 strips – or rays!
Twist each strip three times, leaving a centimetre or so from the centre. Brush the strips with beaten egg (and sprinkle some sesame seeds if you like them) and bake for about 40-45 minutes until golden at 350ºF/180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Serve hot or cold – you just tear a ray of sun off! Great for dipping too – try runny cheeses, tapenade or aioli.
Spreads for tarte de soleil
It’s such a versatile tart and you can use all sorts of filling so here’s just a few ideas:
Goats cheese mixed with sun dried tomatoes.
Garlic butter
Tapenade (which also goes well with goats cheese)
Tomato paste and grated cheese (add a sprinkling of herbs de Provence for extra French flavour)
For extra impressiveness, remove the centre of the tart and pop a small round of runny Camembert for dipping!
Cheese and chopped chives
You can also go sweet! Stewed apple or fruit, chocolate spread and frangipane are favourites in my house!
