Tarting it up in Saint-Tropez

Saint-Tropez from the Citadelle.

Alexandre Micka has a lot to answer for – and it’s a deliciously wicked mixture of cake, cream and sugar.

Sixty years ago – in 1955 – he opened a bakery in St Tropez.

At that time St Tropez was becoming more than just a sleepy Mediterranean fishing village inhabited by artists.

It was the setting for the latest Roger Vadim film, Et Dieu créa la femme – And God Created Woman – which catapaulted its leading lady, Brigitte Bardot, aka BéBé, to international stardom.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Micka was in his kitchen in the Place de la Mairie, creating a cream-filled brioche sprinkled with sugar.

But it was Brigitte Bardot - who tasted and adored Alexandre's new brioche - who catapaulted it to stardom when she suggested he name it ‘La tarte de Saint-Tropez’.

Now universally known as ‘La Tarte Tropezienne’, the secret recipe remains just that – a secret - handed down from Alexandre’s grandmother. Others have created versions of the tarte, but all we know about Alexandre's version is that two different creams are blended together for the filling and the sugar is always cooked in copper cauldrons.

La Tarte Tropezienne.

Alexandre Micka later teamed up with Albert Dufrêne and the tart has since been marketed throughout France under a registered trademark.

This year - 2015 - celebrates 60 years of La Tarte Tropezienne, which has become a traditional French delicacy not only in St Tropez, but throughout France.

The mixture of cream and sugar might look formidable, but like all perfect French pastries, it is light and delicate. However, more than a mere slice, really is too much - (and I have to admit to scraping the granulated sugar off the top).