Tarte flambée is a traditional Alsatian dish that is quite similar to pizza, but with some key differences. It’s also known as Flammekueche in Alsatian and Flammkuchen in German.
The dish features a very thin crust of bread dough that’s rolled out in a rectangle or circle. The dough is traditionally topped with fromage blanc or crème fraîche, thin-sliced onions, and lardons, which are small strips or cubes of pork fat. This ensemble is then baked in a very hot oven or, in some traditional settings, a wood-fired oven, which gives it a distinctive charred or “flamed” appearance, hence the name.
While the traditional tarte flambée has the ingredients mentioned above, there are several variations (you may find the website “tartes-flambees.com” to be a useful resource), including versions with mushrooms, cheese, and other ingredients.
The dessert versions also exist, with sweet toppings such as apples, cinnamon, and sweet crème fraîche.
It is a very popular dish in the regions of Alsace, Baden-Württemberg, and Pfalz, and it’s often enjoyed with local white wines or beer.
The Tarte Flambée recipe shared below comes straight from a true and passionate Alsatian local, ensuring its authenticity and deep-rooted tradition.
Tarte flambée / Flammekueche
Why do we say tarte flambée?
It is simply flammée, that is to say cooked over a flame, as the Alsatian name clearly indicates: Flammekueche.
This also explains why tartes flambées are traditionally eaten on a wooden bread shovel used by bakers.
Ingredients
Instructions
Instructions
Chop an onion and lightly fry in butter until brown.
Mix with 40 cl. fresh cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Fry 80 g of smoked lardons.
Spread 150 g of dough on an oven dish, and fill with the onion cream mixture.
Baste with a tablespoon of colza oil and sprinkle with lardons.
Bake in the oven at a high temperature.
Note
The quality of the products is essential, make sure you get high quality smoked bacon from your favorite butcher.
