This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
Crusty cockle tart
A small puff pastry tart case filled with cockles in a cream and egg-yolk sauce ("a la poulette" in French).
118 K 4.3/5 (23 reviews)
2 hours 55 min.
Easy
12 people
5 IngredientsLast modified on: March 17th 2013
For 12 people, you will need:
- 1
3 kgs cockles - 2
600 g puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée) - 3
600 ml liquid cream - 4
6 egg yolks - 5
chives (optional) - Total weight: 4,320 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 2 hours 25 min.
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 2 hours 55 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 2 hours
Prepare the cockles and the cooking liquid left. This can be done well in advance, or the day before.
Stage 2 - 10 min.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).
Roll out the pastry and line the tart moulds or tins. Fill with baking beans (or lentils) to prevent the pastry puffing up too much.
Roll out the pastry and line the tart moulds or tins. Fill with baking beans (or lentils) to prevent the pastry puffing up too much.
Stage 3 - 15 min.
Bake the tart cases for around 15 minutes, watching for colouring.
Remove the baking beans and keep the cases hot in the residual oven heat (after turning off).
Remove the baking beans and keep the cases hot in the residual oven heat (after turning off).
Stage 4 - 10 min.
Pour 600 ml liquid cream into a pan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Add pepper but no salt.
Add around 5 tablespoonsful of the cockle cooking liquid and taste to check the seasoning. If necessary, add a little more of the cockle liquid.
Add around 5 tablespoonsful of the cockle cooking liquid and taste to check the seasoning. If necessary, add a little more of the cockle liquid.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Turn down the heat and add 6 egg yolks.
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Beat to mix thoroughly and continue beating gently until the "à la poulette" (chick) sauce thickens.
Remove from the heat as soon as it is thick enough.
Remove from the heat as soon as it is thick enough.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
Stage 8 - 5 min.
Place a tart case on each plate and fill with a spoonful or two of cockles in sauce.
You can also pour the sauce over whatever you are serving on the side, such as the rice shown here.
Serve immediately.
You can also pour the sauce over whatever you are serving on the side, such as the rice shown here.
Serve immediately.
Remarks
Just before serving, you can add a few chopped chives to the sauce if you wish.
Tarts like this should be served immediately as the sauce will soon start to soften the pastry and make them less appealing.
Tarts like this should be served immediately as the sauce will soon start to soften the pastry and make them less appealing.
And to drink?
A dry white wine, such as a "Gros-plant" from the Nantes region.
Keeping: A few minutes once filled.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 510 RDI=200 % | 2,270 RDI=220 % | 2,350 RDI=360 % | 6,410 RDI=320 % | 26,850 RDI: 320 % |
| Per 100 g | 10 RDI=5 % | 50 RDI=5 % | 50 RDI=8 % | 150 RDI=7 % | 620 RDI: 7 % |
| Per person | 40 RDI=20 % | 190 RDI=20 % | 200 RDI=30 % | 530 RDI=30 % | 2,240 RDI: 30 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 12 people : 22.55 €
- Per person : 1.90 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Cockles
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Fisherman's Ragout, Fillets of sole Dieppoise, How to prepare cockles, Breton style shellfish and vegetable soup, Tagliatelle with cockles, ... See them all 7
Liquid cream
Like these other recipes: Icelandic-style fish and vegetable pie, Langoustine gratin, Crunchy blackcurrant and mascarpone cream verrine, Pork medallions with "full" turnips, Creamy artichokes, ... See them all 170
Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Cochelin d'Evreux, Thin cherry tomato and pesto tart, Maroilles cheese quiche, Yvetot Douillons, Express apple tart, ... See them all 72
Egg yolk
Like these other recipes: Sausage with duchess potatoes and a Mont d'Or fondue , Chocolate-verbena cream, You should not beat egg yolks at high speed to start with, Butter cream, Eggs Comtoise, ... See them all 75
Other recipes you may also like
Chinese style chicken
Only "chinese style", not a true chinese recipe. February 28th 2012318 K4 1 hour 40 min.
How to glaze a tart
Professional pastrycooks usually say that "a beautiful cake is already half sold", it is one of the reasons why they do not put a tart on sale without glazing it ("abricoter" in Fench), i.e. coating it with a thick apricot syrup. This glaze gives a glossy finish to the tart (see the photographs below) and also protects it from the air and thus from oxidation and browning. It's a quite simple technique that you can easily apply to give to your desserts a professional look. This is how you do it. February 15th 2016470 K4.4 7 min.
Sliced chicken with mushrooms and broccoli
Blanched broccoli sautéed quickly with thin slices of fried chicken. May 10th 2023169 K4.5 1 hour 4 min.
Crunchy courgette and mushroom salad
This very simple salad contains a mix of crunchy raw ingredients, balanced by the softer texture of tuna, and dressed with mayonnaise. May 10th 202356 K 45 min.
Quince jelly
This quince jelly, with a very pronounced taste, will delight lovers of this fruit. October 23th 202233 K 1 hour 45 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-10-12)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.