It's getting increasingly harder to find an artisan apple tarts. Many bakeries buy frozen products that they simply defrost and display in their shop windows. As for pastry shops, many have stopped offering them due to a lack of interested customers.
However, if you look hard enough, it's still possible to enjoy a good apple tart that respects the basic principles: a base of puff pastry – shortbread or shortcrust – filled with custard and/or apple compote and topped with thin slices of baked apple. After tasting some 30 tarts according to precise criteria (appearance, texture, taste, quality-quantity-price ratio), here is our selection.
"Ô le pain" ("Oh, the bread"): This catchphrase of the Poilâne brand perfectly sums up the mission of this family business. Since 1932, three generations of bakers (Pierre, Lionel and Apollonia) have built up a unique brand with five outlets in Paris and a production site in Bièvres (southwest of Paris). In addition to its iconic sourdough bread, Poilâne is also renowned for its shortbread cookies and apple tarts.
Our take: It's hard to find a more rustic tart! A few tender, golden slices of delicious apple are placed in a square of crisp puff pastry, then sprinkled with brown sugar. The result? The warm, juicy apples gently caramelize, adding a subtle sweetness. Yummy!
Composition: puff pastry, apples, brown sugar.
Price: €3.15.
Poilâne, 38 Rue Debelleyme, Paris 3rd; 8 Rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris 6th; 49 Boulevard de Grenelle, Paris 15th; 39 Rue de Lévis, Paris 17th; 83 Rue de Crimée, Paris 19th.
In the northern city of Tourcoing, the Deherripon bakery-patisserie bakery has been turning out traditional recipes for seven generations. With over 30 years of experience, Yves-Antoine Deherripon upholds the fundamental principles of his trade while adapting to the modern world. To maintain consistency in his products, he carefully selects his various ingredients.
Our take: Very classic in both flavor and texture, this apple tart will delight any sweet tooth. The taste of the apple is respected and blends perfectly with the lightly vanilla custard made with good farm milk. Its very affordable price means you'll be coming back for more.
Composition: puff pastry base, pastry cream, apple slices.
Price: €3.30.
Deherripon, 9 Rue Racine, Tourcoing (Nord).
In 2023, Benjamin Roc, former sous-chef at the Hôtel Cheval Blanc Paris, and his wife Clémentine took over a bakery listed as a historic monument and turned it into a must for gourmets in the Vaugirard neighborhood of Paris's 15th arrondissement. They offer classic French pastries, excellent viennoiseries and sourdough bread, all at reasonable prices.
You have 79.56% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.