Barquette

Barquette is a small boat-shaped pastry shell or the filled tartlet baked or served in that shell. The French word means “little boat.” Barquettes are commonly used in pâtisserie, petits fours and canapé service, with sweet or savoury fillings.

Pastry and mould

A barquette mould is elongated with tapered ends, creating a boat-like shape. The shell may be made from short pastry, puff pastry or another suitable dough, depending on the recipe. It can be baked empty and filled later or baked with a suitable filling.

Common fillings

• Sweet: pastry cream with berries, fruit compote, chocolate ganache or almond cream.
• Savoury: mushroom duxelles, crab salad, cheese mixtures, vegetable preparations or other canapé fillings.

Chef’s tip: Keep the pastry shell crisp by controlling moisture in the filling. For cold fillings, fill close to service where practical; for baked fillings, choose a pastry and blind-baking method suited to the mixture.

Key distinction: Barquette describes the boat-shaped pastry shell or the small filled tartlet, not one specific dough or filling.