Tarte au maugin

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Tarte au maugin is a cheese and cream tart from the Metz area, with a thin pastry shell filled with a thick mixture of well-drained fromage blanc, beaten eggs, crème fraîche, and sugar. Its roots extend back to the Middle Ages in the Pays messin around Metz, where local bakers and home cooks combined fromage blanc and cream into a sweetened egg mixture known locally as maugin (a form of migaine) and poured it over a base of shortcrust pastry to create a dessert often served for afternoon coffee or meals. The preparation begins with a shortcrust pastry made from flour, water, and fat such as butter or lard, which is rolled and placed in a tart pan; the fromage blanc is strained to remove excess whey, then mixed with crème fraîche, sugar, and beaten eggs until smooth before being poured into the prepared shell and baked until the filling is set and slightly firm on top. Common variations include incorporating raisins or citrus zest into the filling or serving the tart with a fruit coulis on the side. Tarte au maugin is served as a dessert or with afternoon refreshments, typically sliced and served with black coffee, tea, or a sweet wine.