Alsatian Tarte FlambÉe Food

TARTE FLAMBéE (ELSäSSER FLAMMKUCHEN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to the highest temperature possible.
• Thoroughly mix flour, oil,water and salt to make a dough (should not be sticky) and roll out as thin as possible.
• Optional:Melt the butter in a pan, add onions and sweat for just a couple of minutes. Add bacon, stir and heat through. If you slice everything thin you don't have to sautée it before putting it on.
• Spread creme fraiche on top of dough, then spread onions and bacon on top of it. Season with salt and pepper.
• Put in the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Once the bread looks crispy it's done.
• SUGGESTIONS: Tastes great with a glass of white wine.
• Thin out the sour cream with a bit of cream.
• You could add cumin or grated cheese.
• Top with olives,tomatoes and bacon instead of onions. Or top with spinach,garlic tomatoes and sheep's cheese.
• You could even make a sweet version and top with thinnly sliced apples and cinnamon sugar on top of the creme fraiche.

TARTE FLAMBEE

Steps:

• For the dough: Activate the yeast by combining the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar. Stir together and let sit until the mixture becomes frothy and foamy and smells very yeasty, about 10 minutes.
• Put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the olive oil, salt and the activated yeast mixture. Stir until the dough comes together and forms a ball.
• Dust a clean work surface with flour and knead the dough until it is tight and firm, 5 to 7 minutes. Place the dough back in the mixing bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• For the topping: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the bacon in a large, wide pan and give it a couple drops of olive oil. Bring the pan to a medium heat and cook the bacon until it is brown and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and reserve on paper towels.
• Add the onions to the pan, season with salt, cover and cook until the onions have wilted and are very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cook the onions until they are very soft and caramelized. This will take awhile, maybe up to 45 minutes. Stir the onions occasionally paying attention not to let them burn, but don't rush it! When the onions are really brown and sweet, remove them from the heat and reserve.
• Combine the creme fraiche and fromage blanc.
• Divide the dough into 4 even balls and roll them out until they are 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. Place them on a sheet tray and bake them in the oven for 4 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the oven. Schmear each dough evenly with the cheese mixture, place an even layer of the caramelized onions on the cheese and sprinkle the bacon on top of the onions.
• Return the dough to the oven until the dough is crisp on the bottom and the toppings are bubbly, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

FLAMMKUCHEN AKA TARTE FLAMBéE (AUTHENTIC RECIPE)

Steps:

• Sift the flour. Combine the yeast, sugar and water in a bowl and let the yeast activate.
• Add the flour, salt and oil and mix until a dough forms.
• If using a stand-up mixer, let it work on the dough for a couple of minutes.
• If kneading by hand, knead actively onto a floured surface for 5 minutes.
• Cover the dough and let rest in a warm spot for about 1 hour.
• In the meantime cut the bacon into small, thin strips and thinly slice the onions.
• Heat the clarified butter or cooking oil over medium heat and cook the bacon until it just begins to get crispy. Move it to drain over a paper towel.
• In the same pan with the grease left from the bacon, saute the onions. When translucent move away from the heat and let them cool off.
• Mix the creme fraiche or sour cream with the yolk, salt and pepper, nutmeg.
• Heat the oven to 425 F.
• Knead the dough for a minute and divide it into portions (8 for appetizer sized or 4 for bigger flammkuchen).
• Roll out the dough pieces thinly and place then onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.
• Spread creme fraiche mixture over each tart, top with onions, bacon and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges begin to darken.
• Serve right away.

TARTE FLAMBEE (ALSATIAN BACON & ONION TART)

Steps:

• Place bacon in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until cooked but not crisp and fat has rendered out, about 8 minutes. Drain in a strainer; reserve the fat.
• Place skillet back over medium heat. Add sliced onions. Cook briefly just until they lose their raw edge and soften up slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a teaspoon or 2 of bacon fat if pan seems too dry. Remove skillet from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Mix fromage blanc, creme fraiche, nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a mixing bowl.
• Place 1 ball of pizza dough on a well-floured surface. Flatten and roll out to a 10- or 12-inch thin circle. Transfer to a cold cast iron pan. Heat over medium-high heat to pre-cook the bottom of the crust. As dough heats and bubbles appear, deflate them with the tines of a fork so crust ends up thin and crisp (not chewy). When bottom is nicely browned and just about to start getting charred, 5 to 7 minutes, remove from heat. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Spread a generous amount of cheese mixture over the crust. Top evenly with some onions and then the bacon. Broil 5 or 6 minutes until edges are browned and starting to lift. Repeat for remaining tartes.

TARTE FLAMBEE (ALSATIAN PIZZA)

Steps:

• Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl or in the work bowl of a food processor.
• In a measuring cup, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir in the sugar.
• Add to the flour all at once and stir or motor until smooth.
• Be careful not to over-process.
• Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rise, undisturbed, for 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and rub two large baking sheets with a little vegetable oil.
• Divide the dough into four parts, and on a well-floured surface, roll each part into an 8-inch round.
• Put the rounds on the oiled baking sheets and set aside.
• Combine the fromage blanc or cottage cheese, the crème fraîche and the 1 tablespoon of flour and stir or process until smooth.
• Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until some of the fat is released, then add the sliced onion and cook 2 or 3 minutes, or until the onion is barely softened.
• Distribute the cheese evenly between the rounds of dough and spread it up to the edges.
• Sprinkle the bacon and onions on top.
• Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until the pastry is browned.
• Serve hot.

TARTE FLAMBéE (FRENCH) OR FLAMMEKUECHE (GERMAN)

Steps:

• Dough:.
• Mix the starter ingredients together in a small bowl, cover tightly, and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• When the starter is light and bubbly, mix the beer and milk into the mixture.
• Put the flour and salt into a food processor, then, with the motor running, add the yeast mixture through the feeding tube. Process the dough until it forms a ball. Add very small amounts of additional flour or milk if necessary.
• Process the ball until it is smooth, elastic, and warm, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
• Butter a medium-sized bowl, roll the ball around in the butter, then cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and let rise a second time.
• Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Oil a 14 x 16 inch baking sheet. Roll the dough until slightly smaller than the baking sheet. Place it on the sheet.
• Alsatian Tarte Flambee:.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.
• Combine the crème fraîche, fromage blanc, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooled onion.
• Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and fry the bacon until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Remove and drain through a strainer.
• Spread the onion mixture over the dough, leaving a very small raised rim all the way around, then dot with the bacon.
• Baking:.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tart is lightly browned.
• Variation - Arugula Tarte Flambee:.
• Instead of preparing the traditional Alsatian topping, proceed with baking the crust. Once the crust is baked, toss 2-3 handfuls of arugula with lemon vinaigrette. Top with shaved gruyere, olives and tomato.

FLAMMEKUECHE (TARTE FLAMBEE) - ALSATIAN BACON AND ONION TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Fry bacon in a frying pan over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes to render the fat, but do not brown. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 tbsp fat from the pan. Reduce heat to medium high. Add the sliced onions and sauté for 5 minutes, until just tender and translucent, but not brown. Set aside.
• Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl. Add the oil and water. Using a fork, stir until a ball forms that is cohesive and leaves the sides of the bowl clean. Knead in the bowl until smooth. It should be a soft pliable dough, not sticky. Add a little more flour if the dough is too loose or a little more water if the dough ball isn't coming together or is too stiff. Let set. You can also use a food processor. Place all ingredients except the water in the bowl of a food processor. Turn on and drizzle in the water until a smooth dough has formed.
• Meanwhile in another bowl, beat together the cream cheese, yogurt or sour cream, and nutmeg until smooth. Divide dough into 2 - 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, on a floured surface roll out the dough as thin as possible (the shape of the dough does not matter) and place on a baking sheet or parchment-lined baking sheet (I just roll the dough directly on the parchment then slide it on the baking sheet). Repeat with the other half of the dough.
• Spread the dough with the cream cheese mixture then sprinkle on the bacon and onion. If desired sprinkle with a little Gruyere. Bake until the dough is crispy and the top is lightly browned, about 10 - 15 minutes. Let cool a couple of minutes before cutting and serving.