Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Tarte Flambée – Alsatian Bacon & Onion Pizza (Not Pizza)

The hardest thing about this amazing tarte flambée recipe isn’t the prep, or finding some exotic ingredient, it’s actually trying to explain to your guests why it’s not called pizza. I’m reminded of that old saying, “If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and looks like a duck, sometimes it’s a trout.”

That’s right, while this is a pizza almost everywhere else, in certain places on the German/French border, it goes by the totally dessert-sounding name of tarte flambée. Just tell people the name comes from the fact it used to be cooked in a fire, and then trail off.

Once your crust is pre-browned and topped, you have several options for bringing this to a successful, and hopefully crispy conclusion. Since the bottom is already browned, I usually just broil it on high, about 8 inches from the flame, for about 5 minutes, or until the top is looking just right.

The other method would be to pop it in a 500 F. oven, for about 7-10 minutes, or until you’re completely happy. Or, you can actually do both – start in a hot oven, and then give it a minute under the broiler to seal the deal. Either way, I really hope you give this tarte flambée a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 tarte flambée:
4 balls prepared pizza dough (about 5 ounces each) Note: Wolfgang Puck pizza dough recipe would would perfectly
12 ounces bacon, sliced
1 large yellow onion, sliced, cooked with salt, until soft, but not caramelized
For the cheese mixture:
pinch of nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
cayenne to taste

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Yum! When I worked at a German/Alpine restaurant, we ran cottage cheese through a food mill, mixed with creme fraiche, salt, pepper and a ton of nutmeg. I snacked on these every day 😉

Fred said...

Its called Flammkuchen in German (Flamme - Flame , Kuchen - Cake). You wouldnt use Creamcheese on it but Schmand.
The Name derives from the Habit of throwing in these little pies to see if oven was hot enough for bread.

Fred said...

Its called Flammkuchen in German (Flamme - Flame , Kuchen - Cake). You wouldnt use Creamcheese on it but Schmand.
The Name derives from the Habit of throwing in these little pies to see if oven was hot enough for bread.

philogaia said...

I realize it was probably just a joke on your part but I know a bit about the region of Alsace because I love the wines of the area. This is right along the French/German border and over the centuries has been back and forth part of either Germany or France. Right now it is part of France but has always had cultural influences from both countries. Probably part of why I love it so much. All I really know is that I figure this dish would be good with a nice Alsatian white wine...

Angie Jones said...

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mgh said...

Every time we went across the border to Strasbourg we always made a point to have dinner before going back home. Personally, I like the desert Flammkuchen ever more. Fruit toppings, doused in booze and then flambéd. Good memories. Luckily, Trader Joes has an okay version in the frozen food department.

UFGrat said...

Two questions...

First, would it make sense to dock the dough to minimize bubbling?

Second, have you tried this (or other actual pizza recipes) in the ceramic grill yet? They can reach 700 to 800 fairly easily, depending on the model. Not quite a Neapolitan wood-fired pizza oven, but close!

Johnny Cash said...

It's called Flammkuche back home (France). Funny we skipped a letter from German.

Unknown said...

Very clear guide to make this food item :)
Thanks,
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Shim Farm said...

Made this tonight and it was AWESOME! Merci beaucoup, Chef John.

Started dough off in cast iron on stove top, and moved to pizza stone in 500F oven under broiler to finish. Amazing crispy crust.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and Michelle. Health, happiness and some freshly ground black pepper with a sprinkling of cayenne to round things out.

Keep the videos coming!

Unknown said...

Tried this with vegan (sweet earth) hickory sage bacon and it turned out great. I added mushrooms sautéed in butter and garlic. I bruised some provincial herbs whisked into the fromage(subbed skim ricotta) base, and topped the tarte with Italian parsley.

Thanks for the wonderful recipe and inspiration chef John!

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Unknown said...

I am german so I am totally fine with it.Just wanted to warn you french people with pitchforks might be coming after you for putting this in the german category.