Tart Club

It all started one fateful day in the middle of the semester, and by no means did we think that it was gonna turn into this. What am I talking about you ask? I'm talking about tarts of course! One day my friend Carina brought tarts to class, and Elizabeth and I of course tried them. We gave our opinions on it and realized that we should make this a thing, you know tasting tarts from around Paris and ranking them. So we decided that every Friday would be tart day and we would alternate who bought the tarts and where they came from (honestly still not sure whose idea it was, Carina says it was hers and Elizabeth says it was hers). Now by no means are we baking experts (even though Carina and I religiously watch the Great British Bake-Off) we are just girls who love tarts and are just looking for that dime piece (perfect 10).

Image Credit: Flickr/Quinn Dombrowski

1. Place Next to Socgen (Bank): Rue Saint Dominique

1. Rating: 7/7.5 out of 10
2. Price: 4.50 euros
3. Comments:

   1. Thickness of the tart was good.

   2. The blueberries were good because it was a compote.

   3. Tart was moist but not soggy.

   4. Strawberries were glazed AF.

All in all a pretty good tart for our first meeting of Tart club.

2. 1 Rue Cler

1. Rating: 5 out of 10
2. Price: 4.50 euros
3. Comments:
   1. Not enough custard - it was very uneven and we were really sure if it was a custard...maybe a creme?
   2. The pastry was very thick.
   3. Raspberries were not good, we wanted them to be fresher.
   4. Their wasn't any glaze.
   5. It was a lil' dry.
   6. "The powdered sugar was not welcomed" - Me

personally did not like this one at all. Like the tart was already dry and now you go and put like half a cup of powdered sugar on it...just no. But what do I know? I'm not a pastry expert.

Image Credit: Flickr/Stacy Spensley

 3. Artisan Boulanger; Rue saint Dominique

1. Rating: 7 out of 10
2. Price: 3.50 euros
3. Comments:
   1. A little to crumbly.
   2. The custard was flavorful and fresh, as were the raspberries.
   3. "The custard counteracts the tartness of the raspberries in a really good way" - Elizabeth
   4. "Still not a fan of the powdered sugar, but the distribution of custard and tart is really good" - Me

in the end, it was a pretty decent tart, we docked points because it was bordering on a soggy bottom just because there was a lot of custard. Also the pastry was more like a cookie than a tart pastry, and also Elizabeth got tired of eating. And you should never get bored of eating a tart.

4. Boulanger Rue de vaugirard

1. Rating: 8 out of 10 ( kind of proud because I picked this tart)
2. Price: 3.50 euros
3. Comments:
   1. Pros: An enjoyable, glazed af tart
   2. Cons: The crust was a tad soggy (due to the glaze obviously), more fruit would have been beneficial, also the tart was very messy and i the words of Carina "v crumbly."

In the end, it wasn't like the perfect tart, and Elizabeth also didn't finish this one because she felt like there wasn't a lot of flavor. We were "still lookin' for a dime."

Image Credit: Ariana Coleman

5. Sebastian - Avenue Bosquet

1. Rating: 9 out of 10
2. Price: 3.50 euros
3. Comments:
   1. This tart was borderline perfection! we are talking Instagram worthy tart right here.
   2. The tart smelled and looked fresh to death, it had the perfect amount of crunch and you could hear it when you bit into it.
   3. It was so good, that Carina had to tie her hair back as she proclaimed that "the custard was fresh AF."

Honestly the only reason why this tart did not receive a perfect 10 was because we thought there could have been more of a variation of fruit...blueberries maybe? But otherwise, c'etait parfait!

6. LE MOULIN DE LA VIERGE

1. Rating: 2 out of 10
2. Price: 3.70 euros
3. Comments:
   1. This tart was so disappointing, on the outside it looked like it could have been a decent tart, but once we bit into it, it was a whole different story.
   2. First of all, the tarts lacked uniformity, they were different sizes, thicknesses, etc. 
   3. They were bone dry with no custard.
   4. All in al they just made us sad.

Yeah, we did not like ending tart club on that note, but at least the raspberries were good.

So if you're ever in Paris looking for a good tart, check us out. I mean we found some pretty good (and a few bad) places. This way you'll get to explore Paris and maybe avoid the places where everyone goes to get tarts or desserts. After all, as you saw here, you don't have to pay a lot to find a good tart...Even though we never found our dime!