Tarte aux Noix du Perigord

This small Perigord-style walnut tart has a crisp, buttery shortcrust and a rich filling of walnuts bound with honey, cream, and egg. The result is glossy, fragrant, and deeply nutty, with a texture somewhere between caramel, custard, and praline.

Nutrition · per serving

982kcal

15gProtein

67gCarbs

75gFat

4gFiber

2 servings

Ingredients

15 items

Pate sablee

plain flour100 g

cold unsalted butter, diced50 g

caster sugar15 g

fine salt1 pinch

egg yolk1

cold water10-15 ml

Garniture aux noix

walnut halves100 g

runny honey45 g

caster sugar25 g

double cream60 ml

unsalted butter20 g

whole egg1

vanilla extract2 ml

fine salt1 pinch

Finition

butter for greasing the tin5 g

Tips

•If the pastry softens while lining the tin, chill it briefly before baking; cold pastry gives sharper edges and less shrinkage.
•A small loose-bottom tart tin works best for easy unmoulding.
•Serve with creme fraiche or lightly whipped cream if desired, though the tart is rich enough to stand alone.
•For deeper walnut flavour, toast the walnuts for 5-6 minutes at 170°C before using, then cool before mixing into the filling.

Steps

1
Preheat the oven to 190°C conventional heat. Lightly grease a 12-14 cm tart tin. If the walnut halves are large, roughly break about half of them so the filling slices more neatly while keeping some attractive larger pieces for the top.
5 g butter for greasing the tin100 g walnut halves
2
Make the pastry: rub the plain flour, cold diced butter, caster sugar, and salt together with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the egg yolk, then add just enough cold water to bring the dough together. Do not knead; stop as soon as it forms a smooth mass, which keeps the crust tender.
100 g plain flour50 g cold unsalted butter, diced15 g caster sugar1 pinch fine salt1 egg yolk10-15 ml cold water
3
Roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to about 3 mm thick, line the tart tin, and press it neatly into the corners. Trim the excess. Chill or freeze the lined shell for 10 minutes so it holds its shape in the oven.
4
Line the chilled pastry with baking paper and baking weights or dried beans, then blind-bake for 12 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, then bake 5 minutes more until the base looks dry and just lightly golden.
5
While the shell bakes, make the filling. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the honey, caster sugar, double cream, butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves; do not boil hard. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes so the egg does not scramble.
45 g runny honey25 g caster sugar60 ml double cream20 g unsalted butter2 ml vanilla extract1 pinch fine salt
6
Whisk the whole egg in a bowl, then gradually whisk in the warm cream-honey mixture until smooth. Fold in the walnuts, coating them evenly.
1 whole egg100 g walnut halves
7
Pour the walnut filling into the partially baked tart shell and spread the nuts evenly. Bake at 180°C for 18-20 minutes, until the filling is puffed at the edges, lightly bronzed, and still has a slight wobble in the center; it will finish setting as it cools.
8
Rest the tart in the tin for 10 minutes, then unmould carefully and serve warm or at room temperature. For the cleanest slices, let it cool a little longer before cutting.

Origin & History

Walnut tarts are closely associated with the Perigord region of southwestern France, an area long known for both walnuts and honey. This style of tarte aux noix reflects the rural desserts of the region: simple pastry filled with local nuts, cream, butter, and sweetness from sugar or honey.

french tart walnut vegetarian baking dessert

Do even more with Gourmate

Cook this recipe in Gourmate — your AI meal planning app.

Plan Meals

Weekly planner at a tap

Ask Questions

Chat with your AI chef

Adjust Recipe

Scale servings & swap ingredients

Cook Mode

Step-by-step guidance

Kitchen Timers

Built-in timers & alerts

Grocery List

Auto-generated shopping lists

Open in App Download Gourmate

Steps

Preheat the oven to 190°C conventional heat. Lightly grease a 12-14 cm tart tin. If the walnut halves are large, roughly break about half of them so the filling slices more neatly while keeping some attractive larger pieces for the top.

5 g butter for greasing the tin100 g walnut halves

Make the pastry: rub the plain flour, cold diced butter, caster sugar, and salt together with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the egg yolk, then add just enough cold water to bring the dough together. Do not knead; stop as soon as it forms a smooth mass, which keeps the crust tender.

100 g plain flour50 g cold unsalted butter, diced15 g caster sugar1 pinch fine salt1 egg yolk10-15 ml cold water

Roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to about 3 mm thick, line the tart tin, and press it neatly into the corners. Trim the excess. Chill or freeze the lined shell for 10 minutes so it holds its shape in the oven.

Line the chilled pastry with baking paper and baking weights or dried beans, then blind-bake for 12 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, then bake 5 minutes more until the base looks dry and just lightly golden.

While the shell bakes, make the filling. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the honey, caster sugar, double cream, butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves; do not boil hard. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes so the egg does not scramble.

45 g runny honey25 g caster sugar60 ml double cream20 g unsalted butter2 ml vanilla extract1 pinch fine salt

Whisk the whole egg in a bowl, then gradually whisk in the warm cream-honey mixture until smooth. Fold in the walnuts, coating them evenly.

1 whole egg100 g walnut halves

Pour the walnut filling into the partially baked tart shell and spread the nuts evenly. Bake at 180°C for 18-20 minutes, until the filling is puffed at the edges, lightly bronzed, and still has a slight wobble in the center; it will finish setting as it cools.

Rest the tart in the tin for 10 minutes, then unmould carefully and serve warm or at room temperature. For the cleanest slices, let it cool a little longer before cutting.