Tarte au sucre is the dessert of every Quebec holiday table and sugar shack: brown sugar and cream baked until the filling sets like soft fudge. The crust matters as much as the filling, and the old way is an all-lard pastry, which stays flaky under a rich, wet filling.
Ingredients (one 23 cm pie)
- 1 unbaked 23 cm pie crust, ideally our all-lard pastry
- 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) packed brown sugar
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 250 ml (1 cup) 35% whipping cream
- 1 egg (optional, for a firmer set)
- 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla
- A pinch of salt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) with a rack in the lower third. Line the pie plate with the pastry and chill it while you make the filling.
- Whisk the brown sugar, flour and salt in a bowl, breaking up any lumps. Whisk in the cream, the egg if using, and the vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the crust. Bake 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 175 °C (350 °F) and bake 30 to 35 minutes more, until the edges are set and bubbling and the centre still jiggles slightly.
- Cool at least 2 hours at room temperature. The filling finishes setting as it cools.
Notes
- For a maple version, replace 125 ml (1/2 cup) of the brown sugar with maple syrup and add 15 ml (1 tbsp) more flour.
- If the crust edge browns too fast, cover it with a ring of foil for the last 15 minutes.
- Keeps 3 days covered at room temperature, or 5 days in the fridge.
More Quebec classics: tourtière with lard pastry, old-fashioned baked beans, and the full cooking fats and recipes guide.
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