How to Make a Beautiful Tarte Soleil

Happy weekend! For this past Tablescape Thursday, I shared a wonderful table setting Norma put together when she was expecting friends over for a luncheon.

French Luncheon Table Setting, Rustic Farmhouse Style

 

As mentioned in that previous post, Norma also made this beautiful Tarte Soleil to serve as an appetizer. I asked Norma if she would mind sharing her recipe, I would love to try making this stunning appetizer one day, although it’s so pretty, it’s almost too beautiful to eat! Ha! Norma generously shared her recipe with me so I could share it with you! She included two detailed diagrams showing how she cuts each of the strips that make up the beautiful rays of this Sun Tart. For her tart, Norma used savory ingredients, but she shared, “You can even do a chocolate or Nutella version!” So this wonderful tart could be made as a dessert when using sweet ingredients.

Tarte Soleil Appetizer, French Appetizer

 

Here are two diagrams Norma included with her recipe showing the steps in cutting the pastry. I’ve also included these images/diagrams in the printable version of the recipe that you’ll find at the end of this post.

How to cut pastry to make a Soleil Tart-Sun Tart Part 1

 

Your pastry should look like this once you’re done cutting it, and before the twisting of each strip begins.

How to cut pastry to make a Soleil Tart or Sun Tart, Part 2

 

If you have any questions after looking over the recipe, please feel free to ask those in the comments and I’m sure Norma will be happy to reply. There’s a big time difference between the U.S. and France, so if you live in the U.S., it may be a few hours before Norma has a chance to reply.

If you make a sun tarte, please share a photo of it with me at betweennapsontheporch @gmail.com . Norma and I both would love to see how your tart turns out and I’d love to know what ingredients you chose for the filling!

Tarte Soleil

This beautiful Tarte Soleil can be made with a variety of ingredients and can be an appetizer or dessert, depending on the ingredients used.
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 Ready-rolled, circular puff pastries
  • 1 Small Jar Sun-dried tomatoes
  • 4 Thin slices of ham
  • 1 Egg (beaten)
  • See "notes" below for ideas of other possible ingredients/combinations you may wish to try.

Instructions

  • Chop up tomatoes or run through food processor
  • Cover the first pastry with tomatoes and thin sliced ham. Don't overfill your pastry or the ingredients will leak out during baking. Try to keep the ingredients even and flat.
  • Wet the edge of the first pastry and cover it with the second pastry.
  • Press a glass into the pastry to mark the center, being careful to not push all the way through.
  • Using scissors, cut each section of the pastry as shown in the diagram, cutting up to the circle, but not into the circle.
    How to cut pastry to make a Soleil Tart-Sun Tart Part 1
  • Once all sections are cut, place tarte into the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes. This makes it easier to twist each section.
    How to cut pastry to make a Soleil Tart or Sun Tart, Part 2
  • Remove tart from refrigerator and going around the pastry, twist each strip twice.
  • Brush with beaten egg.
  • Bake at 350° for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown.
  • Twist off a strip to eat and enjoy!

Notes

This Tarte Soleil can also be made by substituting the sun-dried tomatoes and ham with a small tub of garlic-herb cream cheese and pieces of smoked salmon--or anything else you may wish to try. Another combination to try is blue cheese and chopped walnuts.
Tip: When adding ingredients to the pastry, don't overfill it. Keep it even and flat, otherwise, the filling will leak out during baking and will be difficult to twist.

 

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Comments

  1. Beautiful. I have never seen round puff pastry. We only have rectangle. I’ll have to think about how I could do something similar.

    • Bev, Norma said she buys either Herta or Tante Marie and it is available in the “perfect size circles.” Norma said those may not be available here in the U.S. I’ve never looked for puff pastry…wonder what’s out there/available?

    • Hi Bev
      Of course you could always make your own puff pastry.
      I am not very good at that so I buy ready made.
      If you can buy ready made in blocks which is available in the U K, you can roll it out as you wish.

  2. So beautiful…truly hard to choose between savory side dish or sweet dessert versions. I hope your readers share their photos and experiences. And then you share with us–the baking challenged!

    • That means we need to make both! 🙂

      • How do you move it from the baking sheet to the serving platter without it breaking?

        • Hi Babik
          I usually cook mine on a large metal pizza tray with a piece of baking paper underneath the pastry.
          Then if you lift up the edge of the tart and grab hold of the paper, it is easy to slide it onto a serving platter.
          The tart is quite robust and I have never had one break yet !!

        • Hello
          I cook mine on a metal pizza tin with a piece of baking paper underneath
          Then if you lift up the edge of the tart and grab the edge of the paper, it is easy to slide the tart onto a serving platter
          I have never had one break yet !

  3. Hello Susan! What oven temp for baking the tart — I assume whatever the puff pastry packaging suggests?

    Although I haven’t had this made with puff pastry, I’ve had something similar made with refrigerated pie crusts (brush the bottom pie crust with butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and finely chopped walnuts or pecans). It’s tasty but I think I’d prefer the puff pastry for a fancier, more elegant version!

    • Mary, Norma just replied back to me via email and she said that she bakes it 350°. I just added that to the recipe. Thanks for asking that question!
      Regarding the puff pastry, Norma buys either Herta or Tante Marie, but she said those may not be available here in the U.S.
      Your recipe sounds delicious, too!

  4. The tart is so pretty – and the table is charming, too. I’m definitely going to try this sometime soon. If you can find puff pastry made with all butter, it’s much tastier. In NC, the Fresh Market has it – I can’t remember the brand. It’s rectangular, but the sheets are large so you might be able to cut a circle out of each sheet.
    Now I’m hungry!

  5. Jean Spimont says

    Hi Norma,
    Thanks for sharing. Can you tell us if the Tante Marie product you used for the top crust was filled with something? The edges are so uniformly dark it could not be achieved by the egg wash. Those dark edges enhance the twists.
    Thanks,
    Jean

    • Hello Jean
      No the two pastry rounds are just plain pastry.
      What you can see is just a glimpse of the filling between them.
      It just turns out that way !
      Hope this makes sense.
      Norma

  6. One word — Yum!

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