Tarte Flambée or Flammeküeche (Alsace, France)

[SuzySushi]

Tarte Flambée or Flammeküeche (Alsace, France)

Tarte Flambée, also known as Flammeküeche, is a kind of "white pizza" that is very popular in Alsace, France.

Traditionally, It's baked in woodburning ovens at very high heat, but here's an Americanized recipe that can be prepared at home. The ricotta cheese and yogurt substitute for fromage frais and crème fraîche, respectively. If you can get the real ingredients, use those. I don't have a baking stone, but if you do, feel free to experiment with baking directly on the stone at higher heat for a shorter time.

My husband has a distant cousin who is French and lives in Alsace. I didn't get this particular recipe from her, but we've eaten Tarte Flambée/Flammeküeche out when we've visited her.

Tarte Flambée or Flammeküeche (Alsace, France)

1 cup ricotta cheese or fromage frais

1/2 cup yogurt or crème fraîche

1 cup lukewarm water

1 package active dry yeast

about 2-1/4 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 onions, sliced in thin rings

12 ounces slab bacon, cut in to small cubes (lardons)

pepper

Place ricotta cheese and yogurt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowwl and cover; chill at least 8 hours.

Combine water, yeast, and 1 cup flour in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy. Add salt, then gradually add remaining flour, until dough is too stiff to stir. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Form into a ball. Place in a bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again, covered, until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450°F. Combine cheese mixture with onions. Let stand 15 minutes to soften the onions.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle to fit a large baking sheet, about 12 x 15". Spread onion mixture over the dough to the edge. Sprinkle lardons evenly on top, then sprinkle generously with pepper.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until crust is crisp. Serve hot, cut into smaller rectangles.

Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Main Dish, Intermediate, French

( RG1928 )