THE ART OF THE TART
The season’s wealth of fresh fruit is perfect for making delicious desserts, writes
The French alpine town of Chamonix sits in a valley surrounded by towering mountains and glaciers. People come here in winter to ski, but in summer people come to hike the alpine trails. You don’t have to take on a full on multi-day high-altitude circuit to enjoy this majestic environment, there are numerous day treks that take you up through the valley and into the bucolic high-alpine meadows. The appeal isn’t just in the scenery, along the route there are little chalets where you can enjoy a light lunch or snack. Without knowing this added bonus, we headed off for a day trek with our picnic packed for the day.
Only about an hour out of Chamonix, hiking through summer wildflowers and lush pastures up the side of the valley, we turned a corner and in there the middle of nowhere, was a beautiful stone chalet. It was brimming with pots of brightly coloured flowers, and there was a small dog peering out through the geraniums from the top-floor window. It was like a mirage.
Our picnic was abandoned in favour of a glass of chablis and a delicious freshherb omelette (the return trail was, after all, downhill). “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to try the tart?” the waitress inquired. The tart? We must have looked puzzled as the waitress disappeared back to the kitchen and returned with an enormous berry tart “People come here just for our tarte aux myrtilles; they call up from the bottom to find out if we have made it and then if we have, they make the hike up here.” We ordered a slice to share — and then another. There are fruit tarts and there are fruit tarts. This fruit tart was in league of its own. It was stupendous. The pastry was fine and crisp and buttery, yet melted into the mouth as you bit through the crunch. The blueberry filling rich, layered and packed with tangy berry flavour.
We had never heard of the Chalet de la Floria but, after tasting that tart, none of us would ever forget it.
This is hardly surprising really when one considers the history of pastry-making in France. For centuries, pastry has been an art form to the French, renowned for its delicate textures and exquisite flavours. In the 17th century, the creation of puff pastry led to the development of iconic pastries like croissants and eclairs. By the 18th century, fruit tarts had become a staple of haute cuisine. Pastry chefs perfected the art of pastry-making, creating delicate and flaky crusts that served as the perfect canvas for showcasing the vibrant colours and flavours of seasonal fruits.
Here then, three delicious French–inspired fruit tarts to celebrate the bounty of late summer fruit.