Traditionally, the strawberry tart is composed of a dough (shortbread, broken, sweet or more rarely flaky), a pastry or almond cream, and fresh strawberries. Some artisans then add various and varied seasonings such as strawberry compote, pistachio chips, candied lemon or rose water.
If we still too often find pastry chefs and bakeries that offer strawberry cakes all year round, things are starting to change little by little. In addition, our selection only contains compositions based on fresh strawberries originating in France, hence the prices sometimes a little high.
After having tasted and rated more than thirty cakes over several days and according to different precise criteria (visual, texture of the dough, flavor of the cream, taste quality of the strawberries, not to mention the famous quality / quantity / price ratio) , here is our list – in no particular order – for 2021.
The most classic: the strawberry tart by Pascal Lac
In 1995, Pascal and Valérie Lac opened their first store in Beaulieu, in the Alpes-Maritimes. Today, recognized by his peers and a member of the prestigious Relais Desserts association, Pascal Lac is an outstanding chocolate maker. The classics of hexagonal pastry no longer hold any secrets for him.
Our opinion : sometimes the simpler things are the best. This is undoubtedly what Pascal Lac thought when he created his strawberry pie. The crispness of the sweet dough mixes very well with the frangipane and the pastry, giving way to the acidity of the first strawberries from the south of France.
Composition: sweet almond paste, frangipane cream, pastry cream, fresh strawberries. Nice, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, La Trinité. Price: € 4.50.
The most sourced: the strawberry tart by Claire Damon (Des Gâteaux et du Pain)
After a journey of starred palaces (Bristol, Plaza Athénée), Claire Damon decided to settle in 2006 in the 15e district of Paris. She practices her profession with high standards, determination and greed. This pastry chef was also one of the first to focus on issues that have become very trendy: organic, fair trade or local.
Our opinion : if the recipe seems very simple, it is the know-how of the pastry chef that impresses. The buttery, well-cooked and crispy shortbread mixes very well with a particularly soft Provence almond cream, ripe strawberries and sweet notes of orange blossom.
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