Elsässer Flammkuchen - Alsatian Tarte Flambée

During my stay in Germany in September/ October my sister-in-law prepared this dish twice and I am so so grateful to her for passing on this outstandingly delicious recipe to me. It was the first thing I prepared when I was back home in Stockholm and the whole family is completely crazy about it. You just can not stop eating... I hope you will enjoy it the same way we do. 


A little background information:


"Tarte Flambée is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of Alsace.

Legend says that the creators of this dish were those Alsatian farmers who used to bake bread once a week. A tarte flambée would be used to test the heat of their wood-fired ovens. At the peak of its temperature, the oven would also have the ideal conditions in which to bake a tarte flambée. The embers would be pushed aside to make room for the tarte in the middle of the oven, and the intense heat would be able to bake it in 1 or 2 minutes. The crust that forms the border of the tarte flambée would be nearly burned by the flames.

The name itself comes from this method of baking, the English translation of the original Alsatian name meaning "baked in the flames"."



These Tarte Flambée or also the similar german "Zwiebelkuchen" is served often during early fall when it´s time for "Federweisser". Since there is no english equivalent to this word I can only give you a definition of what it is


" - the cloudy beverage in the process of fermenting, i.e. somewhere in between must and wine, is called Federweisser. Once fermentation has ended, it is referred to as "young" wine - "


and can assure you that it is very pleasant to the taste and a perfect combination with Tarte Flambée. Regrettably the season is short for Federweisser and here - in Sweden - we  have no access to it. But any wine or even a cold beer is an equivalent "companion". 


Go to the recipe in german



Alsation Tarte Flambée - Elsässer Flammkuchen


click HERE for a printable version


Ingredients
for 4-8 servings (depending on your appetite)

20 g      fresh yeast
500 g    flour
200 ml  butter milk
3 tbsp   olive oil
1-2 tsp  salt
400 g    red onion
200 g    bacon, diced (lardons)
250 g    Crème fraîche
             black pepper, freshly ground
             Baking paper
             Cling wrap





Preparation

• Dissolve the yeast in 50 ml of lukewarm water. Sieve the flour into a bowl and press a hollow in the center. Pour the yeast in the hollow and mix in some flour from the edge. Add the buttermilk, olive oil and salt. Mix all ingredients into a smooth, supple dough (this will take app. 10 minutes). Knead the dough into a ball and place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (such as in the oven at 50 degrees) at least 1 hour.
  
• Cut 8 sheets of baking paper and plastic wrap into your baking tray size.
  
• Peel onions and cut into very thin rings. Finely dice the bacon. Preheat the baking tray in the oven on highest level (about 250 degrees) for at least 30 minutes (convection not suitable).
  
• Knead the risen dough once more and then divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Place each piece of dough on a lightly floured baking paper sheet and roll out with a rolling pin into an oval. Cover with plastic wrap. The dough has to relax a little before rolling it out further (remove the plastic wrap for rolling out).  Repeat this procedure until the dough is  approximately 2 mm thick.
  
• With a tablespoon spread app 3 tablespoons crème fraîche on each Tarte and add 2 tablespoons of bacon bits and 4 tablespoons of red onions on each. Season with a good amount of freshly ground pepper. Place the tarte with the baking paper on the baking tray on the middle rack and bake for 4 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately. Proceed the same way with the remaining Tartes.