The cheese cake, a specialty of Poitou, is always intriguing at first glance. Could it be a cake that took too long to bake? No, if it looks burnt, that’s just normal: under its fine black crust, a soft and airy paste is waiting to be tasted. Discovery in Deux-Sèvres.
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It looks like a flying saucer passed too close to the sun. The cheese cake is a mysterious cake for novices.
“Hmm, curious, very curious”dares this British citizen, passing through a bakery in Deux-Sèvres.
However, inside, its softness is incomparable. It delights all palates. The tourteau is a cake with local accents, a specialty of Poitou. In the region, it is sold in all food shops.
“Ah, a cakeless bakery here [dans les Deux-Sèvres]It is not possible”confirms a customer.
To make it, you need flour, butter, salt, a little water to make a shortcrust pastry, but also eggs, fresh goat’s cheese (or cow’s cheese), salt, sugar for the inside.
In making this cake, there is a key step: baking. The oven rises to 290°C for 35 minutes.
This cheesemonger’s story would be a coincidence. In her family archives, Clotilde Thibaudeault thinks she has the origin of this mysterious recipe, developed according to her by her great-grandmother, one day when, precisely, she left a cake made with cheese to cook far too long in her oven. Since then, it has become a staple of Poitou gastronomy.