Tarte au Sucre and Tarte au Maroilles

Ingredients

• For the yeasted base dough (makes both tarts)
• 300 g plain flour
• 30 g caster sugar
• 5 g fine salt
• 7 g instant dried yeast
• 1 egg
• 100 ml whole milk, warmed
• 60 g unsalted butter, softened
• For the tarte au sucre
• 150 g vergeoise brune, dark beet sugar
• 30 g unsalted butter, cold, broken into small pieces
• 100 ml crème fraîche
• For the tarte au Maroilles
• 200 g Maroilles cheese, rind removed, sliced; 3–4 weeks of age preferred
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 200 ml crème fraîche
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated

Method

1. 1
   Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add the egg and warm milk. Mix to a shaggy dough, then knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Incorporate the softened butter in stages, continuing to knead until fully absorbed. The dough is ready when it pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl and has a supple, slightly tacky surface.
2. 2
   Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl, and leave to rise at room temperature for 1 hour. The dough should double in volume and feel light and pillowy when pressed.
3. 3
   Punch down the dough and divide it in two equal pieces. Roll each piece thinly to fit a tart ring. Line two lightly greased tart rings or loose-bottomed tins. Rest the lined shells for 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 200°C.
4. 4
   For the tarte au sucre: dimple the surface of the dough firmly all over with the fingertips, creating concentrated pools across the base. Scatter the cold butter pieces evenly across the dimpled surface. Press the vergeoise brune over the top in a firm, even layer of 3–4 mm — this is where the tart lives or dies: too thin and the caramel will be shallow; too loose and the cream will not bind it. Drizzle the crème fraîche evenly over the sugar. The surface should appear covered but not wet.
5. 5
   Bake the tarte au sucre at 200°C for 20–25 minutes. The tart is done when the sugar and cream have merged into a deeply caramelized, toffee-dark, actively bubbling layer across the full surface — golden alone is under-done. The base should sound slightly hollow when tapped and feel set beneath the gooey top.
6. 6
   For the tarte au Maroilles: arrange the rind-removed Maroilles slices evenly across the second dough base. Beat the 3 eggs with the 200 ml crème fraîche, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and pour the custard over the cheese. The layer should be thin and rich, not deep — the tart must not be wet. Bake at 200°C for 25–30 minutes until the custard is puffed and set, the cheese has melted into an orange-tinged, bubbling surface, and the top is deeply golden.
7. 7
   Remove both tarts from their rings. Serve warm, within 2 hours of baking. The base of each tart should be thin and carry a light, crisp underside; the interior should yield with a soft, bread-like crumb.