Tarte Flambée
Ingredients
&w=3840&q=75){kind=small}
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 3/4 cup fromage blanc
- 3/4 cup crème fraîche
- 3/4 tsp fine salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 14 ounces yellow onion – thinly sliced (~3 medium yellow onions)
- 6 ounces smoked slab bacon – cut into 0.25-inch lardons
Instructions
1. Place a baking stone or steel on the middle rack and preheat the oven to its hottest setting (525–550°F) for at least 45 minutes.
2. Make the dough: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, instant yeast, and 1 tsp fine salt. Add the warm water and neutral oil and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on the counter until smooth and elastic, 3–4 minutes. Cover and rest at room temperature for 45 minutes.
3. Mix the topping: In a bowl, combine the fromage blanc and crème fraîche. Season with 0.75 tsp fine salt, the black pepper, and the nutmeg. Refrigerate until needed.
4. Prepare the toppings: Thinly slice the onions and cut the smoked slab bacon into 0.25-inch lardons. Pat the lardons dry with paper towels.
5. Divide and shape: Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, place it on a sheet of parchment and roll very thinly (about 10×12 inches or a 12-inch oval; 1–2 mm thick). Keep the second piece covered.
6. Assemble: Spread a thin, even layer of the cream mixture over the dough, leaving a small border. Scatter half of the sliced onions and half of the bacon lardons evenly over the surface.
7. Bake: Slide the parchment with the tart onto the preheated stone/steel. Bake until the edges are deeply browned and crisp, the onions are tender with light char, and the bacon is rendered with browned spots, 7–10 minutes, rotating once if needed. Repeat rolling, topping, and baking with the second piece of dough and remaining toppings.
8. Serve: Cut into rectangles and serve immediately while hot and crisp.
Tarte flambée, also known by its Alsatian name flammekueche (German: Flammkuchen), is a paper-thin flatbread topped with a tangy dairy base, sweet onions, and smoky bacon. Baked at very high heat, it emerges with crackling edges, soft yet barely set cream in the center, and a balance of savoriness and gentle sweetness from the onions. The topping layer is intentionally thin so the crust stays crisp and the bacon renders without greasiness.
Rooted in the farms and village bakeries of Alsace, this dish began as a way to test the heat of wood-fired bread ovens before the day’s loaves went in. Scraps of bread dough were rolled wafer-thin, spread with fresh dairy, and baked in the oven’s initial flames—hence “flambée.” Over time it became a regional specialty served in winstubs (wine taverns), with variations emerging across Alsace and the neighboring German Palatinate, yet the classic version remains cheese-free and focused on the trio of cream, onions, and lardons.