The sweet Tarte au Fromage Blanc Sucrée is Alsace’s answer to cheesecake, yet lighter, more delicate, and less cloying than its American or even Germanic cousins. Built on a thin pâte brisée or pâte sucrée base, the filling is a simple emulsion of fromage blanc (20% fat), eggs, sugar, a generous pour of crème fraîche, vanilla, and lemon zest. The defining technique is the meticulous whisking of the filling to perfect smoothness—any graininess from inadequately mixed fromage blanc persists through baking. The eggs are separated: yolks are beaten with sugar until thick and pale (the ruban stage), then folded into the fromage blanc with crème fraîche, while whites are whipped to soft peaks and folded in last, giving the finished tart its characteristic soufflé-like lift. The tart is baked at 170°C for 35-40 minutes, and the crucial indicator of doneness is a gentle wobble at the centre—the residual heat firms the filling as it cools. The surface should develop golden freckles but not brown uniformly. Professional bakers in Strasbourg and Colmar often add a tablespoon of cornflour to the filling to prevent cracking during cooling, though purists reject this as unnecessary if the baking temperature is correctly controlled. The cooled tart is dusted with icing sugar and served at room temperature, where the contrast between the crisp short pastry and the cloud-like, tangy filling is at its most pronounced.
Separate eggs and fold whipped whites in last for soufflé-like lightness. Beat yolks with sugar to ruban stage before combining with fromage blanc. Use 20% fat fromage blanc for optimal richness-to-tang balance. Bake at 170°C and remove when centre still wobbles—residual heat finishes the set. Cool gradually in the turned-off oven with door ajar to prevent cracking.
Drain your fromage blanc in cheesecloth for 2 hours before using—removing excess whey concentrates the flavour and prevents a wet filling. Add the finely grated zest of one lemon directly to the sugar before mixing to release the essential oils into the sugar crystals (this oleo-saccharum technique intensifies the citrus note). For a dramatic finish, caramelise the surface with a blowtorch just before serving—the brûlée contrast with the cool, tangy filling is extraordinary.
Using fromage blanc that’s too lean (0% fat), producing a sour, thin filling. Overbaking until the centre is fully set, resulting in a dry, cracked tart. Skipping the egg white folding step, losing the ethereal texture. Unmoulding before fully cooled, causing the delicate filling to collapse. Using cream cheese instead of fromage blanc, which produces a completely different—much denser—result.
Pâtisserie d’Alsace — Thierry Mulhaupt