This Recipe includes
Main ingredients:
| Thin crust pizza dough |
| Chopped bacon, pancetta or lardons |
| White onion |
| (Optional) Grated cheese like gruyère, emmental, etc.) |
Spices, herbs and flavoring ingredients:
| Crème fraiche or heavy cream |
| All-purpose flour |
| Nutmeg |
| Salt and pepper |
Why we love it
Flammekueche, flammkuchen, or tarte flambée, this is a dish that epitomizes Alsace’s past, present, and future. While it may be called different names, it is a dish that is much loved by the locals.
A thin pizza-like flatbread topped with onions and bacon lardons, this is one of the emblematic dishes of Alsace. The region of Alsace is located on the northeast along the border of Germany, and the multiple names for flammekueche is representative of the wars that have been fought over by France and Germany since the passing of King Charlemagne.
“Flammkuchen” is the German word, while “tarte flambée” is what it is called in French. Flammekueche is what it is called in Alsatian, and so this is what I’m calling it in this recipe.
Preparation and cooking tips
1. Add a tablespoon of flour in the sauce.
One of the main problems people run into when making a flammekueche is that the dough becomes soggy and doesn’t rise. This is especially the case if you use a lower fat cream, as there is more water in it. Mix in a spoonful of all-purpose flour into the sauce to thicken it up.
2. Consider cooking the bacon and onions beforehand.
Depending on how much sauce you add, you could end up with uncooked bacon, if you don’t heat your oven enough. The traditional French recipe calls for bacon lardons which are small bits of bacon that cook quickly.
However, to take the guesswork out, you can lightly cook the bacon and onions in a pan before using it as a topping on the pizza.
3. Use shallot (white onion) power if you don’t like onions.
If you are serving flammekeuche to children who are picky eaters, they may not care for the onions. In this case, replace the onions with shallot (white onion) power mixed directly into the sauce to get some of that onion flavor.
4. Mix the salt, pepper, and garlic into the cream sauce.
It may seem quicker to skip this step and just add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder directly onto the flammekueche, but I promise you it will taste better if you blend it all in!
5. Make enough for everyone.
Flammekueche is a thin flatbread pizza, and so goes down rather easily. If you have family or friends with a big appetite, they could eat a full flammekeuche by themselves.
In France, we usually count it as 1/2 a flammekeuche per person, when served alongside a soup or salad, so that is how I’ve calculated proportions in the recipe below.
Recipe variations
While the traditional recipe from Alsace calls for bacon lardons, onions and crème fraiche, like the crêpe or the margarita pizza from Italy, there are now many variations.
Ingredients variations for a savory flammekueche:
- Zucchini, red onion, and feta cheese
- Potatoes and bacon lardons
- Figs, red onion, goat cheese
- Pear and gorgonzola
- Tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil
- Smoked salmon and arugula
- Mushrooms and goat cheese
Ingredients variations for a sweet dessert flammekueche:
- chocolate sauce and banana
- apple and cinnamon with honey
- pineapple and rhum
You can use whatever you have in the fridge, creativity is the spice of life after all!
What to serve with it?
Flammekueche can be served with a light salad vinaigrette or a salad niçoise if you want something a little hardier. You can also serve it with a blended vegetable soup or a minestrone.
What drinks to serve with it?
For drinks, try a Reisling or pinot blanc from Alsace with this traditional flammkuchen to keep with the local theme. If you don’t like white wine, try a chilled rosé from Provence. You can read more about French wines here.
You can also serve it with cold beer since, given its German heritage, Alsace is the main beer-producing region in France.
How to store it?
The dough may get soggy and not taste good if it is not specifically meant to be frozen, so I would avoid putting flammekueche in the freezer.
You can prepare it in advance and keep it in the fridge for a few hours however.
Similar recipes
Alsatian Flammekueche
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 thin pizza crust base
- 25 cl of crème fraiche (heavy cream) (1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
- 1 chopped or sliced white onion
- 200 g of bacon lardons
- pinch of garlic powder
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 50 g of grated cheese like gruyère, emmental or cheddar (optional) (1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C).
- Spread the pizza crust dough in a baking pan and lightly fold the corners to avoid sauce overflow.
- Chop the onion into small cubes or slices.
- Chop the bacon into small cubes.
- In a mixing bowl, mix in the crème fraiche with the tablespoon of flour.
- Mix in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and nutmeg and blend well.
- Spread the crème fraiche mixture onto the pizza base.
- Add the onion, bacon, and any optional toppings to the top of the pizza base.
- Place in the oven for at least 25 minutes until the dough rises and the bacon lardons look golden brown.
- Serve while warm.
Nutrition
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates are approximate. Each individual’s dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual.
You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health. This website is written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
If you enjoyed that, check out our other classic French recipes that are easy to prepare. Bon appétit and à bientôt !
