Ingredients
Pastry
- 400 gplain flour
- 150 gbutter or olive oil
- 100 gsugar
- 2eggs
- 1 tspbaking powder
- a pinch of salt
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- a splash of pastis or rum, optional
Filling
- 800 gSwiss chard leaves, green parts only
- 2apples, grated
- 100 graisins, soaked in rum
- 80 gpine nuts
- 100 gsugar
- 2eggs
- 80 gparmesan or a hard local cheese, grated
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- a pinch of salt
To finish
- 1egg, beaten
- icing sugar, generously
To serve
- at room temperature, in thin wedges
Directions
- Use only the green leaves and keep the white stalks for another dish. Wash the leaves thoroughly and shred them finely.
- Salt the shredded leaves lightly, leave them 20 minutes, then squeeze them out very hard. Squeeze them genuinely dry in handfuls, and be surprised by how much liquid comes out and how little chard remains.
- Rub the butter into the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Wrap it and chill it for an hour. Mix the chopped chard with the grated apple, drained raisins, pine nuts, sugar, eggs, cheese and lemon zest. Grate the apple coarsely and add it last, since it browns quickly.
- Taste it and adjust the sugar. It should be sweet but not cloying, with the chard still recognisable and the cheese giving a savoury edge behind.
- Fill it with the chard mixture and level it. Roll out the remaining pastry for the lid, or cut it into strips for a lattice. Lay it over, seal the edges firmly, and trim. Cut a few steam vents in the lid. Brush the lid with beaten egg.
- Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 45 to 50 minutes until deep golden. It is done when the pastry is firm and browned and the filling is set.
- Cool it completely in the tin. It must be cold before the sugar goes on, since icing sugar dissolves on a warm surface. Cut it into thin wedges and serve it at room temperature. It is rich and dense and a small slice is enough.
Technique
- A savoury version of the same pie is also made.
- Olive oil pastry is the older version and butter the more common now.
- The chard stalks are cooked separately in gratins.
Substitutions
- Spinach in place of chard, though chard is what it should be.
- Sultanas in place of raisins.
Variations
- Made with a lattice top.
- The savoury version, without sugar.
- With more apple, which is sweeter.
History
A Niçois and Monégasque speciality that turns chard, a staple leaf of the coast, into a dessert dusted with icing sugar.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tourte de blettes?
Tourte de blettes is a dessert from Monaco: sweet pie of chard leaves with raisins, pine nuts and apple. A Niçois and Monégasque speciality that turns chard, a staple leaf of the coast, into a dessert dusted with icing sugar.
How long does Tourte de blettes take to make?
Tourte de blettes takes 40 min plus 1 hr chilling of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Tourte de blettes?
Yes, within limits. Spinach in place of chard, though chard is what it should be. Sultanas in place of raisins.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tourte de blettes?
Cool it completely in the tin. It must be cold before the sugar goes on, since icing sugar dissolves on a warm surface. Cut it into thin wedges and serve it at room temperature. It is rich and dense and a small slice is enough.
