Tarte Flambée
Flammkuchen or Tarte Flambée, as the French call it, is proof that good recipes don’t need tons of ingredients. Only good ones! Tarte flambée is always on our table when we don’t really feel like cooking.
The Flammkuchen is done quickly, it does not require a long rise time or the cumbersome preparation of other ingredients
I had this thin-crust Flammkuchen, which is a type flatbread with white sauce at the Central Station in Brussels, Belgium while waiting for the train to Ghent
We usually have diced ham or prosciutto and sour cream (instead of creme fraiche) in the fridge. Add thinly sliced onions (white, sweet or red), some Brie or Camembert and the Flammkuchen is ready.
Back in time when wood-fired ovens were still in use, the bakers had to carefully watch the dough for the right temperature while baking. If the Flammkuchen comes out too dark, the oven still has to cool down, if it’s too light, it has to be refilled with coal. It was called Tarte Flambée in French because it was kissed by the flame of the fire.
The dough does not need time to rise, it does not have any yeast. But it should rest for at least 30 minutes.
Flammkuchen or Tarte Flambée ingredients 
Fry bacon and slice onions 
Dough preparation. Pre- heat oven to 400 F 
Let dough rest for 30 minutes 
Flammkuchen or Tarte Flambée dough 
Prepare the sour cream 
spread sour cream on dough 
Add the sliced onion to the dough 
Add sliced brie to the Flammkuchen 
Add Brie to the Flammkuchen 
Bake Flammkuchen oven for 25 to 30 min 
Flammkuchen Tarte Flambée, French 
Flammkuchen Tarte Flambée 
Topping like Schinken, Prosciutto with green onions 
Tarte Flambée, Flammkuchen with smoked Salmon (Lox) and red onions Tarte Flambée, Flammkuchen in wood fired oven 
Be creative with the topping:
- Pear, gorgonzola and spinach
- Pumpkin, goat cheese and mango chutney
- Tomato, mozzarella, pesto and arugula
- Dates, goat cheese, pine nuts and honey
- Spinach, mushrooms and grated cheese
- diced ham and green onions
- Smoked salmon (Lox), dill and horseradish
Flammkuchen or Tarte Flambée
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 2 cups flour (all purpose)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup water
- Topping:
- 3/4 cup sour cream with a dash of salt, pepper and nutmeg
- 2 onions, or 1 large (white, sweet or red)
- 10 strips of fried bacon (crumbled)
- 1/2 Brie or Camembert
- Pear, gorgonzola (or brie) and spinach leaves
- Pumpkin, goat cheese and mango chutney
- Tomato, mozzarella, pesto and arugula
- Dates, goat cheese, pine nuts and honey
- Spinach, mushrooms and grated cheese
- Diced ham and green onions
- Smoked salmon, dill and horseradish
- Prosciutto and red onions
Instructions
- Make a dough from flour, salt, olive oil and water.
- Knead the dough until it no longer sticks to your hands, otherwise add a little more flour.
- Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Stir the sour cream until smooth and season with a little salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Peel the onion, cut in halve and cut into thin strips.
- Roll out the dough thinly on a floured work surface with a rolling pin and place on a baking sheet or baking stone.
- Now spread with sour cream and spices.
- Add toppings to your liking, I used the ones below:
- Distribute onion on top, sprinkle with the crumbled fried bacon and slices of brie.
- Bake in a preheated oven at least 400 F for about 20 to 25 minutes until golden-brown.
Notes
A quick dish to share with friends, family. Serve with cooled white wine!