Tourte de Blettes

[DonRocks]

I'm willing to bet that nobody here has ever made, and few have ever heard of, the classic Nií§oise "dessert" Tourte de Blettes (blettes is swiss chard).

This might just be my favorite thing in the world, and I put dessert in quotes up above because it only has the barest hint of sweetness when made correctly. With swiss chard and pine nuts predominant, it's a lightly sweet pastry - definitely not savory, but not very sweet either, the sweetness coming from raisins, powdered sugar, and - on occasion - a drizzle of honey, or even apple (but I'm not a proponent of apple in this pastry). It should have just a teasing hint of sweetness - nothing gratuitous. I've actually never seen it served as a dessert; it's just something you get at a pátisserie during the day, and enjoy as a snack, but it would be fully justifiable to enjoy it in the morning, with a small ballon of rosé, before your French Press of coffee.

I am envisioning a certain balcony at a certain house in Nice, overlooking Corsica. Sigh ...

Okay, who can make one? This is pretty much what it should look like.

Will trade wine for tourtes de blettes (which is just ungodly with a bone-dry rosé from Bellet - one of the great food-wine pairings in the world, and good luck finding any Bellet around here).

[Pat]

I've got some recipes for this, but I've never made it.  This is the recipe I would try if I were going to attempt it.  He uses apples.

[DonRocks]

I've got some recipes for this, but I've never made it.  This is the recipe I would try if I were going to attempt it.  He uses apples.

I shouldn't have even mentioned apples; they are an abomination. The raisins and pine nuts bring out nuances in the Swiss chard, but the apples overwhelm it - I know you'll find people in both camps, but that's my rationale for not using them and I think it's a very sound one (don't forget you've also got powdered sugar, and this is not supposed to be particularly "sweet" - the apples, combined with the raisins and sugar, turn an otherwise delicate, nuanced treasure into some sort of Bavarian pastry that doesn't even need Swiss chard in it). The bone-dry, pale rosé also goes straight out the window - please reconsider recipes before making this! If anyone insists on apples, I'd shift from a rosé to a Bellet Blanc.

PS - I sent an S.O.S. to the ultra-old-school authority, Magdalena. I know she *loves* apples (many varieties in Nice are very small and not very sweet - this could explain a lot: the pro-apple crowd would use the Nií§ois varieties, not Red Delicious); I'm not sure what her thoughts are in general about apples in a torta de blea, as they call it in her native Nií§ard - an interesting dialect which existed before the French annexation of Nice in 1860. If you know French, and just a little Italian (Magdalena is Nií§oise by birth; Italian by ethnicity), you can read it easily enough, but it's dying; fortunately, the streets in downtown Nice have both French and Nií§ard on the street signs, so there's a small push to preserve it.

One other thing to consider: I've only had these served at room temperature, or ever-so-slightly warmer (80 degrees, perhaps, which seems to enhance the moisture in the chard very nicely). Never piping hot, and refrigeration hardens the pastry crust (and also changes its taste) - I've had it when it's been refrigerated, but it's nowhere near as good - even plain pine nuts, refrigerated, aren't as good. Now that I think about it, there's this certain "balance" that needs to be achieved with this, and a lot of things have to be in sync (otherwise, it will be in the sink). A tourte de blettes is a finicky thing; or maybe it's me that's finicky.

[zoramargolis]

The biggest difference in the two recipes is the crust. The one Don posted uses yeast, and the David Lebovitz recipe uses baking powder. Lebovitz is a pastry chef by training, but he lives in Paris and spent most of his working life in Berkeley, CA so his traditionalist Nií§oise bona fides are questionable.

That said, Don, the perfect Tourte de Blettes exists in your memory's palate, so any version you taste now, out of context, may disappoint.

My aunt (my mother's sister) was married to a man who had grown up on a farm in Poland, and emigrated to Canada on his own, when he was in his late teens, a decade before the second world war started. For years after their marriage, he rhapsodized about a soup that his mother had made when he was a kid. He remembered it as being the most delicious taste he'd ever experienced. Although most of his family had been killed by the Nazis, my aunt was able to get the recipe from one of his two surviving sisters, who lived in Paris. It was the exact recipe that his mother had made--my aunt followed it to the letter. But it tasted awful to him. He was many years  away from the a ravenous peasant boy he'd been, and had had much better food during the intervening years.

The fantasy is, of course, that like Proust's madeleine, one will have a taste from the past and be instantly transported back to a happier time. Proust was lucky that it worked--it often doesn't.

[DonRocks]

The biggest difference in the two recipes is the crust. The one Don posted uses yeast, and the David Lebovitz recipe uses baking powder. Lebovitz is a pastry chef by training, but he lives in Paris and spent most of his working life in Berkeley, CA so his traditionalist Nií§oise bona fides are questionable.

That said, Don, the perfect Tourte de Blettes exists in your memory's palate, so any version you taste now, out of context, may disappoint.

My aunt (my mother's sister) was married to a man who had grown up on a farm in Poland, and emigrated to Canada on his own, when he was in his late teens, a decade before the second world war started. For years after their marriage, he rhapsodized about a soup that his mother had made when he was a kid. He remembered it as being the most delicious taste he'd ever experienced. Although most of his family had been killed by the Nazis, my aunt was able to get the recipe from one of his two surviving sisters, who lived in Paris. It was the exact recipe that his mother had made--my aunt followed it to the letter. But it tasted awful to him. He was many years  away from the a ravenous peasant boy he'd been, and had had much better food during the intervening years.

The fantasy is, of course, that like Proust's madeleine, one will have a taste from the past and be instantly transported back to a happier time. Proust was lucky that it worked--it often doesn't.

I actually only linked to that recipe for the photo to give people a rough idea of what one looks like - now that I read it (*), I notice it uses apples, and also Parmesan which I've never heard of in this - co-incidentally, my father *loved* a slice of cheddar cheese on his apple pie, and I grew to really like it, too ("Apple pie without cheese, is like a kiss without a squeeze," he would say). On paper, the combination sounds kind of nasty, actually.

I know what you're saying here, and if it was anyone but me, I'd agree with you. But ...

There aren't many things in this world that I'm exceptional at, but objective palate memory is one of them - don't forget, I came into the world of food from the world of wine, and I spent a couple decades honing my palate and palate memory, and became one heck of a good blind taster. If you serve me, for example, a well-stored bottle of - pick your Bordeaux - say, a 1983 Pichon-Lalande, I know what it should taste like before the bottle has been opened. Even though I don't ruthlessly blind taste as much as I did, someone recently served me a Burgundy, double-blind, and I guessed it was from the southern part of Morey St-Denis, although I couldn't peg the vineyard or the producer. The host, an experienced Burg-o-phile, asked me, "How the hell do you know this?" My response: "I just do." I'm a very good blind taster, if I do say so myself. I will add that I fully believe this skill is not at all unique, and can be acquired by just about anyone who spends ten years devoted to becoming good at it - it's not something you're born with. Think of walking through an art gallery, pointing, and saying, "Picasso, Braque, Léger, Gris," etc. Even though these may look a lot alike to an untrained eye, someone who has spent some time studying cubism will know based on subtle differences in style. Or imagine someone playing a CD for you, and you saying, "I've never heard this symphony, but it's definitely from the classical period, it sounds Germanic, and it's not Mozart or Beethoven, so I'm guessing Haydn." No difference, and it's really not that big a deal. (Picture Jonathan identifying birds on sight, or you identifying a Mexican dish by looking at a picture of it - I couldn't do either one.)

The tourtes de blettes I've had have been from many sources, not just home-cooked, so I've got a pretty broad "spectrum of acceptance," if that makes any sense. There are various sliding scales of ways to do one right, but if it's just blatantly wrong, I'll have a pretty strong opinion about it. Think of an omelet - there are so very many ways to do one correctly, but the majority of omelets are just not very good. All this having been said, you're right in that I can picture, in my mind, "the perfect" tourte de blettes, as I would compose it; ironically, since I couldn't make it myself, there's no way to communicate that to someone without repeated trial-and-error attempts - but I'd guess we all have our own perceptions of what various "perfect" dishes would be like, be it a chocolate lava cake, or a veal chop. I'm actually picturing, right now, "my perfect" Veal Saltimbocca - thickness, doneness, amount of sage, type of prosciutto, etc. I also suppose that my idea of perfection could change from day-to-day (but damn, this sounds good right about now).

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(*) ETA - Now that I've read it again, more carefully, I note that the author's source is a born-and-bred Nií§oise, and her "Nií§oise bona fides" - as Zora would say - are confirmed in the final paragraph, where eight of her specialties are listed. If I were asked to name eight dishes which are "the most classic" specialties from Nice, these are the *exact* eight that I'd name. So, while I can't confirm her cooking skills, I can absolutely confirm her "Nice-ness." If anyone ever goes to visit, these are the eight specialties that you should be seeking out - some (like Daube) are not exclusive to Nice, but all eight are what go straight to the soul of the city.

Does anyone remember the Moonman? Does anyone know why I'm asking this?

[DonRocks]

Well, it looks like I'm wrong!

According to The Authority, "a proper" Tourte de Blettes not only uses Parmesan, but also 6 Pommes Reinettes! I guess it's just been so many years since I've had one ... I don't remember any overt apple flavors (these are the small, not-too-sweet apples - which I guess are sliced thinly and fanned out directly under the top part of the crust). I guess now that it's been presented to me in this fashion, I kind of remember, but not really.

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Tourte de blettes:

Voici la liste de tous les ingrédients pour la vraie tourte de blette "bien de chez-nous".

La páte:

500 grammes de farine

200       -        - beurre

150       -        - sucre

2 oeufs entiers

1 pincée de sel

Eau

La garniture:

1 bouquet de feuilles de blette (jeune et tendre si possible)

50 grammes de parmesan rápé

2 oeufs

6 pommes reinette

50 grammes de raisins de Corinthe (mis í  tremper dans du rhum)

50 grammes de raisins Malaga           -          -                     -

100 grammes de pignons

50 millilitres d'eau-de-vie de marc du pays (si on en trouve bien sí»r)

150 grammes de sucre cassonade

1 cuillerée í  soupe d'huile d'olive

1 poncée de poivre.

Je me tiens í  ta disposition pour te donner, avec plaisir, toute la recette. Et en Franí§ais car c'est long alors...

[Pat]

Well, it looks like I'm wrong!

According to The Authority, "a proper" Tourte de Blettes not only uses Parmesan, but also 6 Pommes Reinettes! I guess it's just been so many years since I've had one ... I don't remember any overt apple flavors (these are the small, not-too-sweet apples - which I guess are sliced thinly and fanned out directly under the top part of the crust). I guess now that it's been presented to me in this fashion, I kind of remember, but not really.

---

Tourte de blettes:

Voici la liste de tous les ingrédients pour la vraie tourte de blette "bien de chez-nous".

La páte:

500 grammes de farine

200       -        - beurre

150       -        - sucre

2 oeufs entiers

1 pincée de sel

Eau

If my reading of that is correct, there is no yeast or baking powder.  I was going to suggest that perhaps there were French apples typically used that are not terribly sweet, but you've already addressed that.

[porcupine]

After reading the first post, I was intrigued and determined to try making one.  After reading the subsequent posts I'm even more intrigued, but a lot less likely to share the results or post about it.  Talk about setting yourself up for failure...

[DonRocks]

After reading the first post, I was intrigued and determined to try making one.  After reading the subsequent posts I'm even more intrigued, but a lot less likely to share the results or post about it.  Talk about setting yourself up for failure...

Nonsense. I think you should make one, and slice me off a quarter of it.

[porcupine]

Don, the three pastry recipes referenced are significantly different.  Magdalena's recipe is a páte sucreé, which is rather like a sugar cooky crust.  Is that what you remember?  It would have a very different taste and texture from the yeasted dough you linked to.

[Waitman]

Well, it looks like I'm wrong!

According to The Authority, "a proper" Tourte de Blettes not only uses Parmesan, but also 6 Pommes Reinettes! I guess it's just been so many years since I've had one ... I don't remember any overt apple flavors (these are the small, not-too-sweet apples - which I guess are sliced thinly and fanned out directly under the top part of the crust). I guess now that it's been presented to me in this fashion, I kind of remember, but not really.

---

Tourte de blettes:

Voici la liste de tous les ingrédients pour la vraie tourte de blette "bien de chez-nous".

La páte:

500 grammes de farine

200       -        - beurre

150       -        - sucre

2 oeufs entiers

1 pincée de sel

Eau

La garniture:

1 bouquet de feuilles de blette (jeune et tendre si possible)

50 grammes de parmesan rápé

2 oeufs

6 pommes reinette

50 grammes de raisins de Corinthe (mis í  tremper dans du rhum)

50 grammes de raisins Malaga           -          -                     -

100 grammes de pignons

50 millilitres d'eau-de-vie de marc du pays (si on en trouve bien sí»r)

150 grammes de sucre cassonade

1 cuillerée í  soupe d'huile d'olive

1 poncée de poivre.

Je me tiens í  ta disposition pour te donner, avec plaisir, toute la recette. Et en Franí§ais car c'est long alors...

Is that the (corrupt Nice mayor and Cuisine Nissarde expert) Jacques Medecin recipe?  If not, I'll look it up when I get home tonight.  That should settle all arguments.

Maybe we should have a feast, with some stockfish (a la La Merenda) and socca preceding the torte.

[DonRocks]

Don, the three pastry recipes referenced are significantly different.  Magdalena's recipe is a páte sucreé, which is rather like a sugar cooky crust.  Is that what you remember?  It would have a very different taste and texture from the yeasted dough you linked to.

I think it's a páte sucreé - that sounds right, but it's much thinner and moister than a sugar cookie. It's pliable and not flaky (not like a croissant), and doesn't crumble like shortbread (which is a páte sábleé, I would guess?). I'd say it's almost like a Linzer torte but it's nowhere near that thick, and most Linzer tortes aren't served fresh and are a little dry - it needs to be served within a day after being baked (it can be left out over night, covered with a paper towel, but not refrigerated). It's funny because when I started this thread, I was so sure I knew about tourtes de blettes; now I'm feeling very shaky about that knowledge. I guess in DC terms, it's called "being vetted."

Magdalena makes a *lot* of dough, stuffing a crust with sliced apples for dessert, or squash and zucchini for lunch - it's one thing she's really good at, so I put a lot of stock into what she says. For her, making fresh dough is pretty much a daily event and not taken as a big deal, but now that I think about it, it kind of is - the dough in her stuffed tourtes is always very thin (and she always hedges about the quality of her product due to my ancient, non-working oven).

Im also realizing it has been over ten years since I've had one of these, and it's very humbling because it's limiting my powers as a writer. I'm unable to describe how it should be; yet, if I had ten examples in front of me, I'm certain I could pick out the ones that I remember as being typique. I think.

You know who might know also? Cedric. He's from Toulon - that's not Nice, but it's just 60 miles to the west. I'll write and ask him to chime in.

[porcupine]

Don, s'il vous plaí®t demander Magdalena combien pèse un bouquet.

[DonRocks]

Don, s'il vous plaí®t demander Magdalena combien pèse un bouquet.

Okay, I'll assume people here can use Google Translate (for a *very* rough translation (*); if anyone wants a real translation, let me know). To address your question specifically, she says a "bouquet" is essentially what you find at Whole Foods - "a handful when you grab it by the stalks." But note also in the recipe she said "young and tender leaves, if possible," so a lot of babies are preferable to a few grown-ups. Bear in mind also that Thérèse (Magdalena) cooks very light and healthy, and refuses to buy anything that's not organic, so her personal preferences skew towards light, healthy, one might even say "bland," although her ingredients and cooking are always honest and pure, with no shortcuts or industrial nastiness.

Here's her response for anyone who wants to practice their French:

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Que de détails pour une jolie tourte de blette! C'est í§í  la passion de la cuisine...

[(*) for example, Google translate says: "That details a pretty pie chard! It is here the passion for cooking," when she actually wrote, "Wow, what a big discussion for a little tourte de blette! Such is the passion of cuisine."]

Quand on dit "un bouquet de feuilles de blette" il s'agit d'une poignée en tenant par les côes, on fait í  peu près. Après cuisson, on peut saupoudrer de sucre glace, meilleure présentation, mais il s'agit d'une recette assez sucrée. Je mets juste 70/80grs. de sucre et le sucre glace quand la tourte est un peu tiède.

Et si je n'ai pas de pommes reinette, je choisis des pommes í  la chair tendre qui fondent bien mais le goí»t n'est pas le mème.

Je n'ai plus fait de tourte depuis des années et je vais donc retenir l'idée. C'est mon ancien boulanger qui m'a donné cette recette que je trouvais trop sucrée. Le nouveau en fait aussi une salée dont je n'ai pas la recette, mais facile í  élaborer et qui est très bonne. La croí»te est bien dorée, comme laquée.

Quoi d'autre?

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Je n'ai pas pu aller sur le site.

A propos de J. Médecin, je vais mener mon enquète, í  l'occasion, auprès de mon ancien boulanger installé maintenant en ville. Je me demande si ce livre est encore édité car une amie qui habite dans le Var en a un et elle s'est mise í  la cuisine régionale alors qu'elle cuisinait plutô genre "Normandie". Il s'agirait d'un bon livre. Quant aux sources...?

Je vais chercher sur Google.