 |
Tarte flambée is an Alsatian dish composed of thin bread
dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle, which is covered by crème fraîche,
onions and bacon. It is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of the
region. |
|
Left: Tarte
flambée alsacienne. |
Depending
on the region, this dish can be called in Alsatian flammekueche, in German
Flammkuchen, or in French tarte flambée. There are many
variations of the original recipe, in terms both of the dough and of the
garniture.
Legend says that the creators of this dish were those Alsatian farmers who used
to bake bread once a week. In fact, the tarte was originally a homemade dish
which did not make its urban debut until the "pizza craze" of the 1960's. A
tarte flambée would be used to test the heat of their wood-fired ovens. At the
peak of its temperature, the oven would also have the ideal conditions in which
to bake a tarte flambée. The embers would be pushed aside to make room for the
tarte in the middle of the oven, and the intense heat would be able to bake it
in 1 or 2 minutes. The crust that forms the border of the tarte flambée would be
nearly burned by the flames.
The name itself comes from this method of baking, the English translation of the
original Alsatian name being "baked in the flames."
In some parts of Alsace the crème fraîche may be replaced by fromage blanc
(similar to
Quark), or by a mixture of half fromage blanc and half crème
fraîche. The result resembles a thin pizza.
