Flammekueche Thin Crusted Cheese Onion And Bacon Tart Recipes

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.

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.

FLAMMKUCHEN AKA TARTE FLAMBéE (AUTHENTIC RECIPE)

Steps:

• Sift the flour. Combine the yeast, sugar and water in a bowl and let the yeast activate.
• Add the flour, salt and oil and mix until a dough forms.
• If using a stand-up mixer, let it work on the dough for a couple of minutes.
• If kneading by hand, knead actively onto a floured surface for 5 minutes.
• Cover the dough and let rest in a warm spot for about 1 hour.
• In the meantime cut the bacon into small, thin strips and thinly slice the onions.
• Heat the clarified butter or cooking oil over medium heat and cook the bacon until it just begins to get crispy. Move it to drain over a paper towel.
• In the same pan with the grease left from the bacon, saute the onions. When translucent move away from the heat and let them cool off.
• Mix the creme fraiche or sour cream with the yolk, salt and pepper, nutmeg.
• Heat the oven to 425 F.
• Knead the dough for a minute and divide it into portions (8 for appetizer sized or 4 for bigger flammkuchen).
• Roll out the dough pieces thinly and place then onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.
• Spread creme fraiche mixture over each tart, top with onions, bacon and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges begin to darken.
• Serve right away.

FLAMMEKUECHE (THIN-CRUSTED CHEESE, ONION AND BACON TART)

Steps:

• Combine the water, yeast and one cup of the flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly blended and set aside to proof the yeast, about five minutes.
• Once proofed, add the salt, then begin adding the remaining flour, little by little, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and begin kneading, adding additional flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead until the dough is smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes.
• Once kneaded, place the dough in a bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about one hour.
• Punch down and let rise again, covered, until double in bulk, about one hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Combine the onions, cheese, creme fraiche, salt and pepper and let sit for 15 minutes to soften the onions.
• Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle to fit a large baking sheet, measuring about 12 1/2 by 15 inches. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
• Spread the onion mixture over the dough right to the edge. Sprinkle the bacon evenly over the top, then sprinkle generously with pepper.
• Bake just until the dough is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.