Flammekueche Tarte Flambee Alsatian Bacon And Onion Tart Food

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.

FLAMMKUCHEN/FLAMMEKUECHE (TARTE FLAMBEE)

Steps:

• Mix together the flour, oil, salt and water in a bowl. If it's too dry and won't come together, add a little more water, but it will be a relatively dry dough. Kneed for a minute then set aside while you prepare the toppings.
• Preheat the oven to 450F/230C. Line a large baking sheet/tray (half sheet) with parchment.
• Cut the bacon in to thin strips ('lardons') and cook in a small skillet/frying pan over a medium heat until they are just starting to brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add the onions to the pan, along with the butter, and cook a few minutes until the onions have softened but are only just browning.
• Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper to the creme fraiche and mix well.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a circle/oval as thin as you can (around 1/8in/3mm).
• Transfer the dough to the lined baking sheet then spread the creme fraiche over the top, leaving a space around the edge without any topping.
• Spread over the sauteed onions then top with the bacon, spreading them as evenly as you can. Top with the gruyere then bake for around 10 minutes until the edges are lightly brown and crisp and the toppings are just starting to color.

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 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.