YOU WILL NEED (TO MAKE ENOUGH FOR TWO):
- Puff pastry
- One onion
- One packet of diced pancetta
- Mushrooms (optional)
- Emmental cheese (optional)
- Fromage blanc or créme fraîche
- Salt and pepper
- Nutmeg
Flammekueche, otherwise known in France as tarte flambée is a quick and easy dish to make. Actually depending on the region it can have a variety of names, including Flammekueche, Flàmmeküeche, Flammekuechle in Alsatian and Flammkuchen in German which literally translates to a "flame cake" or in french a tarte flambée which translates to "pie baked in the flames" which can be very misleading.
This has to be one of my all-time favourite dishes for many reasons. First of all, it is an Alsatian speciality which is a typical dish from the region where I was born - Strasbourg. Secondly, it just bring backs loads of memories going back there and always having as many tarte flambées as I could possibly eat. Thirdly, it is such a simple yet delicate and delicious dish, as well as having as many varieties possible - including sweet versions.
The dish is composed of bread dough that is very thinly rolled out. Unlike pizzas a Flammekueche is rectangle. The dough is covered with fromage blanc (or crème fraîche), thinly slices onions and little bacon or pancetta pieces.
1. Preheat the over at 200C and roll out the pastry onto a baking sheet
2. In a pan cook the bacon pieces (don't let them get too crispy as they will continue to cook in the oven), remove and drain.
3. Remove nearly all of the bacon fat from the pan but leave about 1 tbsp then sauté the onion pieces until they starts to brown (they will continue to cook in the over as well) and set aside.
4. Finally put your mushrooms in a pan with some butter and cook until golden and set aside.
5. In a bowl mix together the sour cream and the fromage frais, then stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
6. Spread the dough with a thin layer of the sour cream/fromage frais mix leaving 1cm from the edge with not mixture - this will allow for the dough to rise and create an edge. Then sprinkle the bacon and onions (and any other ingredient) on top.
7. Place your tarte flambée into the oven - mid-level for 15 minutes until the edges are puffed up and golden.
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