Flammkuchen—also known as Tarte Flambée in the Alsace—is one of our favorite dishes to enjoy when we’re in the region. In traditional Alsatian restaurants that specialize in it, they keep bringing one after the other: hot from the oven, impossibly thin, topped with creamy cheese, onions, and bacon. Just when you think you can’t eat another bite, they finish the meal with a sweet apple version—flambéed with Calvados at the table.
Ingredients:
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 250 ml water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 small container crème fraîche
- 1 small container fromage blanc (or quark or Greek yogurt as a substitute)
- Optional: a splash of heavy cream (to thin if needed)
- Salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg (to taste)
- 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 5 slices of bacon, cut into thin strips
- Optional additions: Gruyère, goat cheese, mushrooms
- 1 crème fraiche
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 -4 apples depending on size
- Calvados to flambé
Instructions:
To make the dough:
In a large bowl, mix flour, oil, water, and salt until a smooth dough forms. It should be soft but not sticky.
Divide in half and roll each portion into a very thin disc on a floured surface. Add your choice of topping.
To make the savory topping:
Saute bacon to render some of the fat. Reserve bacon fat and saute onions.
Combine crème fraiche, fromage blanc, and whipping cream if mixture is too thick to pour. Spread half of the mixture on thinly rolled out dough and sprinkle with onions, bacon and other toppings if used.
Bake on pizza stone at 450°F for about 15 to 20 minutes.
To make the apple topping:
Peel and thinly slice apples.
Combine all ingredients except for the calvados into a bowl and let sit for about 1 hour before spreading on rolled out dough.
Flambé with warmed calvados.