La Tarterie Put Moussaka into a Tart and It Became a Hit

In France, tart is not just something you see in display windows and photograph wide-eyed outside pastry shops like Benoit Castel because Emily in Paris ate there. For many households, it is a practical way to use ingredients left over from the previous day. Vegetables, meat, or cheese can all find their place inside a dough that bakes quickly and results in a complete dish, a logic that strongly resembles the Greek pie, where the core idea has always been that nothing goes to waste, long before this became a topic of discussion in micro bakeries.

This simple idea was first introduced to Grigoria while she was completing her culinary studies in France. Her Norman instructor explained to the students that tart was not always a dish of Parisian patisseries, but rather an everyday element of home cooking. The thought stayed with her for years, until it resurfaced unexpectedly when she found herself working as a private chef on yachts. In that environment, ingredient management and food waste reduction are essential, which led her to start using leftovers to create tarts for the crew.

This is how the idea of La Tarterie was born, the small space she eventually opened next to the central square of Argyroupoli, together with her partner, Kosmas. He has studied pastry, though most of his professional path has taken place in private kitchens as a cook.

At the beginning, everything started almost like a small bet. Grigoria wanted to get Greeks to eat tart filled with familiar Greek dishes, and moussaka was an obvious starting point. What began as a joke has now become the most defining creation of the shop. La Tarterie’s version is based on baked eggplants instead of fried ones and minced beef, maintaining the familiar, home-style flavor of the dish while presenting it in a lighter form. If you lean toward a more intense version, you might miss the potato layer, but here the dough takes on that role, resulting in something more refined, as a tarterie should be if it aims to stand apart from a traditional eatery. A thin layer of béchamel completes the result.

The base of each tart is the classic French pâte brisée, an egg-free dough with a buttery flavor. At La Tarterie it is thin, crisp, and just fragile enough, allowing the filling to stand out without becoming heavy. It is prepared fresh every day.

Among the tarts I tried, the most balanced for me was the one with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and dill. The combination is clean and direct, with the salmon providing the main intensity and the dill adding a gentle freshness. The tart with leek and Président goat cheese was also interesting, with the leek offering a subtle sweetness and the cheese adding acidity, though I would have preferred a slightly stronger presence. Goat cheese, in my view, should make itself clearly felt.

The most earthy option was the tart with fresh mushrooms, graviera cheese, and thyme. The mushrooms are used generously, creating a deep and full flavor.

For dessert, I chose a classic lemon tart, which was probably my favorite. Forget the ready-made tartlets you find in pastry shop refrigerators. Here, the lemons come from Grigoria’s village, Antirrio in Aetolia-Acarnania, and both their juice and zest are used. The curd is not simply lemon-flavored but carries the clean acidity of the fruit, creating a balance that remains refreshing without becoming sharp. The meringue is added just before serving and caramelized with a torch, bringing a soft sweetness that completes the whole.

Behind the counter of La Tarterie are two people who have spent years in professional kitchens. Grigoria and Kosmas speak about their tarts the way chefs speak about the dishes that leave their kitchen. They are not willing to compromise on ingredient quality and insist that every tart served must be flawless.

The core menu consists of eight savory tarts and six sweet ones, though depending on the day, additional options may appear. As they told me, more and more customers have started ordering whole tarts to enrich their family tables. Grigoria is already working on new recipes. Her next goal is a tart inspired by artichokes à la polita, while at the same time she is experimenting with a sweet version where pastry cream will be flavored with mastic and finished with small dots of lime gel.

As for me, returning feels inevitable. Not only to try what I missed, but mainly for the one I didn’t get this time. The ratatouille tart, which had already sold out by the time I walked through the door of La Tarterie.