The unbeatable Alsatian ‘pizza’ … it’s FALSE, a Flammkuchen or Tarte flambée is what it is and not a pizza 😛 … is a true symbol in our beautiful region of Alsace. It’s even more important for me because my mum used to make it every year for my family birthday party. It’s a real pleasure to enjoy a delicious homemade Flammakuecha (alsatian way of saying it) every year in the cold of January (or any other month, as all the ingredients are available all year round).
The recipe is relatively simple, as long as you follow to the proportions and don’t mess up with the dough.
Ingredients
For 4 tartes flambées (~ 4 people) :
Pastry :
- 500g flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 fresh yeast (baker's yeast) / or 1 sachet dry yeast (dose to be checked)
- 3 - 3.5 dL water/milk mixture (half and half)
- 2 tablespoons oil
Topping :
- 600g lardons (smoked pork belly TO BE COOKED, not the smoked version to be eaten raw, save that one for a specific event eating eat)
- 4 onions (cut into rings)
- 300g white/cottage/curd cheese (we call it fromage blanc in french)
- 2 dL crème fraîche
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper
- Nutmeg
Instructions
To make the dough :
- Mix flour and salt
- Make a hollow and pour in the oil
- Heat the milk and water to a lukewarm temperature, then stir in the yeast.
- Pour the liquid/yeast mixture into the bowl and mix well.
- Leave the dough to rest for an hour
- (Make the topping step while the dough is rising)
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll out very thinly
For the topping :
- Mix together the curd cheese, crème fraîche, salt, pepper and nutmeg
- Top the 4 unrolled doughs from step 7. with the curd cheese/crème mixture, then place the lardons evenly on top and to finish cover with a farandole of onions.
Baking time :
- Preheat the oven to a very hot temperature (220 degrees fan oven for my oven).
- Place the Flammkuchen in the oven for 20-30 minutes, checking that the edges are nicely coloured but not burnt (as can happen to me 😛 ).
Serve with a good salad (carrot / green / mixed).
All that’s left to do is enjoy this delicious delicacy from our beautiful region.
Flammkuchen is THE recommendation for our Alsatian dishes, because it’s economical, quick enough to do and delicious. You can even make it vegetarian if you can do without the bacon, or add a few other ingredients (not too many either, this isn’t Domino’s Elsass) like mushrooms, cheese (preferably Alsatian), wild garlic, spinach or other ingredients – enjoy!
It can be found in many restaurants throughout the region. Events such as village fêtes or wine festivals are also good opportunities to enjoy it 🙂 But frankly, the satisfaction of making it yourself is simply incomparable. And it’s even better when you share it with friends and family, who are sure to love it 😀
Note: I’ve already seen a few debates about what to name the dish. Honestly, who cares? Personally, I’ll accept anything except Flammeküsch, with its distinctly French accent, which in no way distinguishes our regional dish 😀 But don’t get worked up and say it however you like 😉
Thanks for reading, Un bis a nägschta mol alli tsamma (see you next time everyone) 🙂 !
